Striving For A Better Tomorrow
by FaeryMage
Summary: As Donald and Goofy leave Disney Castle to find the King and the "Key", they left behind their respective apprentices. As Sora battles through Hallow Bastion, the Apprentices are called upon to train the warriors of worlds not yet touched by Darkness.
1. Prologue: Optional Read

_**Prologue**_

**Disclaimer:**I do not own _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy X_, _Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII_, or even the concept of wolves taking on a human appearance (idea from _Wolf's Rain_, of which I am a big fan). These great and honorable games (and gloriously beautiful anime) belong to their creators, not me. Honest. Don't sue, 'cause I'm broke anyway. I do, however, own the characters Dandella, Gabrielle, Ahmeilo, Nibikii, and Tahana. **;)**

**Warning:** This contains blood and gore—very graphic. Not to mention, the humor that isn't really suitable for kids. This will probably be rated around PG 13 or higher. Thank you.

**Printing Warning:** Please note that this Prologue is about **13 pages when printed**. Just thought I'd warn you before you try to print this. I know one time I ended up printing a fanfiction that was 90 pages long. No Prologue. All story. But very good story!

**A/N:** In this story, the realms of _Final Fantasy VII _and _Final Fantasy X _are like countries side-by-side in the same world. May add another realms of _FF_ later.

Since this part is placed in an Al Bhed (_Final Fantasy X_) village, some of the dialog is in Al Bhed (which is within the quotation marks as italic).

The translation is in parenthesis and italic just outside the quotation marks. "…_Blah, blah_…," (…_Blah, Blah_…) said So-N-So for example.

_Thoughts_ are italic without any parenthesis or quotation marks.

Heartless speech is **::**Blah, Blah**::** while the Heartless thoughts are **::**_Blah, Blah_**::**

One more thing: I know I messed up in the timeline of the Prologue so far as Rikku going to Lucrecia. I made up something to explain the difference (made it fit) in later chapters. Sorry for the inconvenience!

o.O.o.O

"No!" A blond woman bolted up in bed, sweat dripping from her form. She breathed heavily, trying to calm her speeding heart. She looked around the quaint bedroom with tired, green eyes. "That dream again…it can't just be coincidence for it to keep coming."

Indeed, the woman had been having the same dream several times a week for the past month. _Ever since we defeated Sin, I've been having the strangest dreams, only to find out later that it actually happened. I thought that only happened to Summoners…_

Her thoughts trailed off as she recognized the sounds of the children playing outside. Her own daughter's giggles seemed to be coming from the front door. Sunlight streamed through the parted curtains, making the shadows on the floor dance. Various birds chirped outside the window.

The relatively young woman sighed as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I wonder if the dreams are supposed to be a message from the Fayth," she mumbled to herself. _If it is_, she continued mentally, _it seems like they're getting more desperate._ With that, she clambered out of her bed, and proceeded to find a memory sphere. Still in her sleeping clothes, she began to record.

"Hi, sweetie! It's me, Mommy. I'm recording this 'cause I've got a really bad feeling that if I don't, I won't get another chance. So first off, Dandy, I love you dearly. No matter what happens, I'll always be in your heart, even if I'm gone.

"Now that I've got that part down, here's the big stuff. Dandella, you know I always told you stories about when I was a Guardian to Lady Yuna, my cousin. Well, after we defeated Sin, I had premonition dreams like the Summoners have sometimes. I've been having this really bad one lately, and that's what spurred me to make this. You see, in this dream, I die, and you're crying; in the end I see you walking away, kinda grown up a bit…then you look over your shoulder and smile at me, like you're truly happy. And then I wake up. Creepy, huh?

"There is a lot that I had wanted to wait until you were older before I told you, but I guess that there isn't time now." She took a visibly calming deep breath before continuing. "Dandella, sweetheart, you're, ahh—how to put this?—kinda of mixed heritage, to put it lightly. Umm, well…I used to work with this scientist couple and the woman wanted to help me have a baby. And, ahh," she scratched the back of her head nervously, "it worked. There was this little hitch, though. For some reason, I could carry the baby, my eggs were fertile, but the baby couldn't be conceived in me—probably because of Sin's toxins or something made my spermicide extra potent. So, Lucrecia took one of my eggs, got some, ehhh, genetic material from the, ahh, donors, and basically did the conceiving thing in a test tube-thingy before putting the egg in me to grow. As you may have guessed by now, the baby was you, my little ball of sunshine!

"Erm, well, the reason that I'm telling you this is, eh heh heh, one of the genetic donors kinda had some unstable stuff going on right then that hadn't shown itself before then. Lucrecia said that some of that may have been passed along to you—but don't worry!" At this point she waved her hands frantically, trying to soothe the viewer even though she knew it would be quite a while until someone actually watched the memory sphere. "She said that even if some did, it wouldn't be enough to cause any harm.

"The donors' names were Doctor Hojo and Vincent Valentine…Erm, Hojo was a stick in the mud, pretty much, and not all that great on the eyes." A nervous laugh sounded here. "And Vincent—hoo, boy!—talk about hottie! From what Lucrecia told me about him, he was very kind, easy going, polite, curious, and reserved. Hee hee, Lucrecia said that he was so cute when he was embarrassed, his pale skin turned a dusty rose; and when he's surprised, his red eyes widened as his eyebrows inched up his brow, and his narrow lips parted slightly. She said that she could have sworn that even his black hair went ridged! He was kinda skinny when I last saw him, but not scrawny; you know, a healthy skinny, and not the health-_problems_ scrawny." She winked at the memory sphere playfully.

"Actually, my friend, Lulu, is one of Vincent's nieces. He was in suspended animation when I met him. The two look a lot alike, now that I think about it." Here she had a thoughtful finger lingering on her chin as her eyes were raised toward the ceiling. "Eh, I'm getting seriously sidetracked. Sorry, sweetie. Anyway, I'd prefer if you thought of either of those guys as your father, please let it be Vincent. Hojo isn't really kind; he's actually far too concerned with experimenting, rather than family. Vincent seemed like the kind of guy who would probably be uncomfortable at first, but then do something unexpected to show his acceptance of it all…at least that was the impression Lucrecia gave me—well, her and the various dreams I had with Vincent in them. Every now and again, I'd see him with this guy with spiky blond hair; he was cute, too!

A short pause, then the woman raised both hands to her messy blond locks and shook her head profusely. "Arg! Again with the dreams! It just keeps coming up...!" She lowered her arms and stood straight again. "I'm really making a fool of myself on here, just great."

O.o.O.o.O

While her mother had been inside recording her massage on the memory sphere, a four-year-old child stood at the doorway to their home. Her moss green eyes peered out at the scene before her with a curious gaze. Children played about the small village, kicking leather-hewn balls around in the dirt, or other childish games. The parents went about their work, whether it be beating the dust out of rugs or bringing home the latest bounty from hunting, mindful of the children dashing about the small dusty road.

A light wind picked up, gently blowing the warm breeze through the streets. The flow tousled the little girl's honey blond hair around her rounded face. In the blink of an eye, the wind turned as chilly as a winter breeze. Dandella shivered in her blue and white sundress, raising her tiny, pudgy arms to encircle herself. "_Susso?_" (_Mommy?_) she called into the house. No response came, and so she tried again, louder this time. "_Susso? Fryd'c kuehk uh?_" (_Mommy? What's going on?_)

Suddenly, a grey blur wizzed by her, getting a startled, "_Iiiib!_" (_Eeeep!_) from the child. Staring about wildly, she took in the sight of the neighboring wolf pack latching their mouths onto the townspeople. Most wolves were able to pull along a child by themselves, while many wolves had to team up to lead the adults.

The humans of the village had held a pact with the wolf pack of the nearby forest. The humans would protect the wolves from hunters seeking their pelts, while the wolves would eliminate any threat coming from their direction. When either party was lacking in food, the other would share what they had. It was as if the wolves had adopted the village as an extension of their already large pack.

That's why this sudden "attack" made little to no sense to the people of the village, and even less to the four-year-old standing in the doorway. "_Susso_!"(_Mommy!_) she cried in alarm as her best friend, Ahmeilo, was snagged by a young, lean wolf with bark brown fur. The wolf had him by his shirt and was taking great care not to harm him. His parents gasped in shock and chased after the wolf, the boy giggling all the while.

A large female wolf appeared, apparently searching for something frantically. She soon took to human form, shifting her fur into clothes as she changed. White leather adorned her fit form, leaving little to the imagination. Medium length silver hair gleamed in the sunlight as her golden iris scanned the area. Dandella recognized the she-wolf and called out to her, "Nibikii!"

The silver-haired woman/wolf spun on her inch-high heel to face the child. "Dan—" she began, only to be caught off guard by a peculiar squat form, dark in its coloring. The creature leaped at the she-wolf's shoulder, and she deftly punched it in the face without so much as a blink. "_Tysh janseh_!" (_Damn vermin!_) She growled, her face twisting into a vicious scowl. "Go back inside, _Meddma Uha_," (_Little One_) she commanded, easily slipping between the different languages, as her features softened.

Before the child could reply, a blood curdling scream pierced the morning air, of which the quiet was already broken by the chaos. Nibikii gave the blond a wistful glance before tearing through the madness to aid the screaming woman. Another of the dark creatures sprouted from the ground directly in front of the child, who gave a startled yelp…moments before kicking the tiny beast in the shin with her sandal-clad foot. It hopped on one foot for half a minute before staring at the child in amazement. **::**_Little Light kicked me_…**::**

Another popped up glances between the two, then whapped the other dark creature upside the head. **::**What are you staring at, Dummy?**::** it questioned. It crossed its short arms across its chest as if in annoyance.

**::**Little Light kicked me,**::** the other answered (How about we call it 'H 01'?)

**::**Seriously?**::** it inquired, somehow raising an eyebrow which it didn't posses. Dandella noted that its eyes changed shape to show the expression. (This one is 'H 02'.)

**::**Yep. Brave Little Light…either that, or DUMB Little Light.**::** H 01 responded.

"_E ys hud TISP!_" (_I am not DUMB!_) she screamed, swiftly kicking H 01 in the shin again…the exact same spot, actually.

H 01 hopped on one foot again, clinging to its knee with a look of anger and pain clearly visible on its funny face. H 02 stared slack-jawed at the four-year-old. **::**You can understand us?**:: **it questioned, tone disbelieving.

o.O.o.O.o

The blond woman was still ranting about this and that, all of which made some kind of sense for her daughter to know—at least it made sense to her. She cut off mid-sentence at sound of her child's voice, "_E ys hud TISP!_" (_I am not DUMB!_) _Great_, she thought sarcastically,_ someone's gotten Dandy all riled up_.

To the woman, it seemed likely that the ones who cause her baby to shrill so loudly were the heathen children on the other side of the village. So, with that in mind, she grabbed the broom. Not just any broom that happened to be in the storage closet, but the broom that she used to dispose of the spider webs. (**A/N:** I couldn't resist. *smirk*)

Without any further hesitation, she headed out to fend off the brats, not even remembering the memory sphere as it still was recording. What she saw, however, surprised the mess out of her, but it did nothing to stop her from defending her daughter—even if it looked like the fiends had found a way to reproduce, despite the fact that fiends are the angry spirits of the dead. The tiny creatures were black in color, with enormous yellow eyes, antennae that curled above their heads, and had chubby bodies as if they were toddlers. _Yep_, she thought, _definitely not human_.

All of this took about three seconds for the former Guardian. _Too bad I didn't grab my explosives or anything_, she thought as a grim grin settled upon her face.

O.o.O.o.O

Before the child could respond to the shell-shocked creature, the red handle of a broom connected with the head of H 02, then the abdomen of H 01. Dandella peered up into the face of her mother, the child's large green eyes wide and mouth hanging open a tad. "_Susso!_" The little girl cheered as her mother held the dark creatures at bay, using the straw part of the broom to smack them now. Of course, the woman _had_ to grab the broom that she used to get rid of spider webs with to beat off unwelcome guests, and by now, she really wished that she had grabbed something a little more efficient.

"_Tuh'd duilr so pypo!_" (_Don't touch my baby!_) After a few powerful swings from the enraged mother, the two creatures burst into puffs of black smoke. Just as she was catching her breath, more of the tiny creatures appeared, some with bloodied claws. The fiends' offspring (as the woman thought of them) quickly surrounded the mother and child. "Oh, crap," the woman murmured under her breath, while Dandella held onto the hem of her mother's night shirt.

Swiftly coming to a decision, the mother spun around and down to cover her child with her own body. She shifted the little one into a kneeling position with both of the small legs under her slight form. Long legs shifted around the precious bundle as to encircle her from behind, while the woman positioned her torso and arms to completely cover the child. Not a single crack was large enough for the creatures to slip even their tiny claws through.

It was if the things were waiting for her to move first, to see what she would do. And when she did, thus protecting her offspring with her own life, they attacked her prone back. She stifled her cries of pain as they literally tore into her back. She simply hunkered down further over her daughter, gritting her teeth to hold in the screams and tears.

-T_T-

A woman, a man, and a child stepped out of the local inn. The woman was clad in a black leather dress which elegantly sloped off of her milky white shoulders, and part of the skirt was crisscrossing belts to hide her long, slender legs. Tough black boots covered her feet. Her black hair was long with corn rows that collected into a high ponytail, while her bangs fell into her face, covering one red eye. Her husband was dressed in colorful islanders' attire, his waders of bright yellow with dark blue straps; his vestment was also bright yellow and partially opened to reveal a portion of his well muscled tan chest. Brown leather sandals adorned his large feet. His dark red hair was held out his brown eyes by a headband that sculpted the front flick of hair to curl toward the back of his head. Between the two adults, stood their six-year-old daughter. Her hair was of a rich black streaked with dark red, the shades perfectly matching the colors of her parents—the same kind of blend of skin tones. Her eyes, however, were mostly red but with specks of brown. She wore a pair of dark brown shorts, a shirt as green as healthy summer's grass, and hard-soled sandals.

Lady Lulu and Sir Wakka, as they had been officially dubbed as Lady Summoner Yuna's Guardians, and their daughter, Gabrielle, raced out of the town in which they had spent the night. They had received word from their old friend and fellow former Guardian, Rikku, that it was likely that something horrible would occur in her village. Fortunately, the town in which they stayed wasn't more than a thirty minute Chocobo ride away.

What startled them, though, was that dozens of wolves were pulling people behind them—men, women, and children—and they were all coming from the direction of Rikku's village. The people were ragged from the brush they traveled through and exhaustion, while the wolves were panting heavily from their excursion. The wolves dropped off their respective charges as they approached the town.

A young male wolf, dark brown in coloring, pulled a squirming five-year-old by the shirt. The young wolf dropped the boy close to Wakka and collapsed onto the ground with a pathetic huff. Amber eyes rose to the red haired man, before the wolf shifted into a human form. Denim pants covered his lower body, while a beige t-shirt was half hidden by a denim jacket. Grey high-tops adorned his feet. All and all, he looked around sixteen in his human disguise. "Sir Wakka! Thank the stars you have arrived. A dark mass has attacked the Al Bhed village. We tried to fight the creatures in the forest, but they overpowered us; we lost quite a few of our pack mates in the fray." The boy/wolf had risen to a crouched position while his spoke. "We brought as many humans here as we could."

Lulu approached from behind Wakka, their daughter in tow. "Thank you for rescuing the townspeople, young wolf. We shall see to these intruders." The six-year-old little girl, who held onto Lulu's hand, peered from behind her mother's skirt at the boy/wolf as the much smaller Ahmeilo clambered to his feet and stumbled to his parents. "_Susso! Tytto!_" (_Mommy! Daddy!_) the little boy called, leaping into their grateful arms. A smile crossed the face of the girl, still concealed behind Lulu's skirt.

Wakka gave a curt nod to the young wolf. "Thanks, Brudda, for helpin' da people. C'mon, Lu, Gabri. We'd best be goinin', yah?" With that, he stalked toward the village at a brisk pace. Lulu followed, matching his pace easily, while Gabrielle jogged to keep up.

Gabrielle glanced over her shoulder to peer at the boy/wolf. Their eyes met, and she gave him a warm smile of parting. The young wolf nodded his head in acknowledgement, then flashed his own smile. _Wow_, he thought suddenly, _she's kinda cute for a human pup…Where the heck did that come from?_

_-T^T-_

The Al Bhed village was torn and burned asunder. The small houses were either partially caved in or slightly smoking. What made Wakka blanch and Lulu cover her child's eyes as her mouth hung open, however, were the bodies that littered the streets. Some were bloody pulps; others were practically cinders, while still quite a few were both. Not all the bodies were human. Just as the young wolf in town had said, a dozen or so of his pack mates had fallen to the invaders. The stench of charred flesh reached the trio's nostrils, causing Wakka to retch and Lulu to cover both her and her daughter's mouths. Gabrielle clung to her mother's leather skirt, her small fist knotting itself amongst the belts. "Momma, why does it smell so bad?"

"You don't want to know, sweetheart." Lulu replied as calmly as she could, her eyes watered and threatened to spill tears as she scanned the still chaos. Peculiar shadows were moving on their own along the ground. The moving dark blotches soon raised themselves from their flat forms, bodies forming upon the dirt as if rising from a pool of water.

Lulu gasped in surprise, then schooled her expression into stern condemnation. "Filthy creatures of the dark," her alto voice rumbled while her husband dry heaved, "thou shalt return from which thoust came!" The dark mage raised her right arm to the sky, then brought it back down, magic coming fourth—"Thunder!"

Numerous bolts of lightning came from the sky, striking many of the creatures. Not a single bolt went astray to strike a building or corpse. The things that were hit burst into black smoke. The remaining creatures actually hesitated before they leaped toward the family.

Wakka shook himself from his puking haze at the sound of Lulu releasing her spell. He saw the weirdest toddler he had ever seen standing before him. He then glanced at its little claws, which were covered in gore. Shrugging nonchalantly, Wakka decided to help the munchkin wash its hands. _He heh heh_, he chuckled darkly in his mind. _Take dis demon kid!_

Lulu's eye twitched at the sound of a zipper coming down, then the tell-tale "sssssssssssssss" could be heard. She glanced over to Wakka to see a yellow stream of liquid land on one of the bizarre attackers. The look of indignation on its face—while Wakka himself was looking rather proud—was highly amusing…in a very twisted way. With a shake of her head, she went back to blasting the little things with powerful magic.

Gabrielle loved to watch her mother perform magic, but she was getting bored. Spotting a stick a few feet away, she dashed to it and swung experimentally. Finding her stick to be satisfactory, her grin alone caused some of the black creatures to back away nervously. "Here, little guys…Wanna play?" she asked sweetly, only to suddenly chase after the dark beings as fast as her legs would carry her. Sadly, the little girl's legs were longer and faster than those of the now fleeing creatures. Needless to say, Gabrielle got to destroy her first Heartless that day.

A great roar sounded to the east, and soon half a dozen wolves dashed after the retreating black mass. Said black mass stopped suddenly, as they were cut off by a large silver, female wolf (obviously, she's the Alpha female). She pulled back her jowls to reveal her sharp teeth as she growled low in her throat. Several scrapes could be seen along her flank, but she paid those no mind. Her fur bristled as she stared with golden eyes down at the black toddler-like creatures. The other wolves surrounded the five Heartless and were ready to attack. The alpha female let out a short bark, and the other wolves pounced onto their prey, sharp jaws gnashing and clawed paws tearing.

The silver female raised her head high and sniffed the air, obviously searching for a particular scent. Her ears perked at the sound of a muffled wail. She quickly left her pack mates in favor of finding the owner of that pitiful voice. As she ran through the remnants of the village, she noticed three strangers commencing in battle—a woman, a man, and…a human cub swinging a rather large stick while chasing the dark monsters. After climbing atop an overturned wheel barrel, she tossed her head back to release a howl. Over a dozen more wolves came into view and began to aid the remaining humans.

The she-wolf continued her flight toward the muffled cries and screams. As she approached the tiny voice, she could see five or six Shadow Heartless piled on top of an unmoving form. From the writhing mass of bloody black, a few wisps of blond hair could be seen. Beneath that unmoving form, came the shrill cries of panic and fear.

The Alpha female charged at the pile, leaped over them, snagging one of the black things as she went, and landed on the other side only to viciously tear into with her jaws. Within moments, the creature dissipated into a black cloud of nothingness. One deep breath later, she did it again—leap, snag, kill—until the little Shadows realized that she held a greater threat than their prize.

A younger, honey-colored she-wolf appeared and snatched the leg of the Heartless closest to her. She then decided to shake her head as if tearing into a rag doll—the Heartless was left to have its head beat against the ground repeatedly as its comrades ignored the happenings. The unfortunate Shadow soon burst into black smoke (the swirly eyes remained quite visible in the smoke for a moment), the young female pouted a second before snatching another to repeat the process. This one's eyes went swirly with the first hit, little stars appearing at each contact with the ground. When this one went "pssshhsssh" and disappeared, the wolf didn't even hesitate before claiming another.

The silver female just shook her head at her underling's antics before jumping into the fray. Strong jaws clamped down onto limbs, heads, throats, and abdomens in her fury. The entire Heartless group of five or six was decimated in less than five minutes by the pair of she-wolves. They both stood panting near the kneeling woman and hidden child. The Alpha female approached the humans carefully, taking note of her friend's condition.

The honey-colored wolf tilted her head at the Alpha female, then shifted into her human disguise. Bond hair framed her oval face—the back cropped close to her skull while the front hung to her jaw line. Narrow hazel eyes were framed by sooty lashes. Her cheeks were flushed from her previous effort. Moleskin Capri's and halter top adorned her body. "Nibikii, should I go get the other Human warriors for the injured one?"

The silver she-wolf, too, shifted into her human form. White leather took the place of her fur, and white one inch-heels covered her dainty feet. "Yes, Tahana. Retrieve them. They may be the only ones who can save the woman, if it is not all ready too late for her." She knelt by the woman's side, a hand resting on a trembling shoulder. "Do not fear, my friend. Help is on the way," she attempted to console the woman.

Without another word, Tahana ran as fast as her two human legs would carry her. She maintained her human disguise as not to frighten the human trio. It didn't take her long to find the family. The man was throwing a bizarre ball with spikes at the dark creatures, the woman was casting massive amounts of magic at them, and the child was excitedly chasing the things with a big pointy stick.

"H-hey!" Tahana bounced on the balls of her feet, arms waving to and fro. "There's an injured woman over here! She needs help quick!" The wolf's hazel met the blood red of the woman's eyes. The wolf gulped, "Please, the Alpha female sent me, and if I don't get help quick, I'm in big trouble—but nowhere near as much as the injured human over here!"

Lulu looked to Wakka, who nodded then picked up their squirming child. He dashed toward the she-wolf as Lulu let loose a huge Thunder spell, eliminating the rest of the Heartless in that area. "Oooooooh, prreeeetty," Gabrielle murmured from her perch on her father's shoulder. Wakka just smirked and patted his daughter's knees with a calloused hand affectionately. Lulu hurried to them (or at least as much of a hurry as her dress would allow) and then past them, huffing the way from which the wolf came.

"Erm, right!" Tahana chirped. "This way! You may want to cover your cub's eyes when we get close, though. The damage is pretty disturbing." She led them through the body strewn streets as nimbly as she could. She noticed the woman held her skirts high in the front while the man held it from the ground in the back. _I guess she just has her male trained that way, or maybe he has to clean that arrangement of belts. I might ask later._

Moments later, the quartet arrived in front of the only untouched house in all the village. (The Heartless had damaged the other houses trying to get to their occupants. Since this house's occupants were all ready outside, the Heartless had no need to enter.) They saw the silver she-wolf in her human form next to a hunched over human. The human's back seemed to be ripped to ribbons, skin and muscle torn loose from the bone while blood poured from the extensive wound. Even some bone fragments were scattered on the ground. The only sign that this person was even still alive was the ragged gurgling breaths that forced the bloody mess of a back to rise and fall.

Lulu and Wakka instantly recognized the messy blond beeded braids that adorned the woman's head. "Rikku!" they cried out at once. Wakka actually forgot his daughter atop his shoulder in his shock, and she tumbled right off when he sped to his friend's side. Lulu was frozen to the spot in her shock to the point at which she didn't even hear the 'Whump!' of her daughter landing hard onto the dusty roadway, her angry grumble not far behind.

The Alpha female rose to her feet, expression forlorn as she looked over the group of human warriors. "_Lyh oui raym _Rikku?" (_Can you heal Rikku?_) she asked quietly. She edged away, allowing the humans closer access to the wounded woman. "_E ys Nibikii, Ymbry vasyma uv dra fumv bylg uv dra vunacd_." (_I am Nibikii, Alpha female of the wolf pack of the forest._) she announced as calmly as she could. "_Drana ec y lremt ihtan Rikku_." (_There is a child under Rikku_.)

Wakka collapsed to his knees just behind the blond woman, hands trembling as he reached toward her. His large calloused hands gently gripped her shoulders and began to pull her back toward his chest. "Rikku…Yuh hurt pretty bad. Try to stay wid us, yah? It might hurt to move, but we gotta to check on the little one, 'kay?" An audible groan forced its way out of the blond woman's throat as Wakka slowly pulled her from her position over her child.

"_Bmayca, cyja ran vnus dra tynghacc_." (_Please, save her from the darkness._) Rikku's wary green eyes refused to open more than a centimeter each; at the same time, her head disobeyed the need to rise up. Her mind swam amongst the panic and fear that clouded her reasoning. "_Dandella,_ _so pybo._" (_Dandella, my baby._)

Lulu choked back a sob, then rushed to her friend's side. "Rikku! Hold on, I'll try to heal you! Just hold on!" With a flourish of her hands and gathering of magic, she cast the most powerful Cure spells she knew in progression. "Curaga! Curaga! Curaga! Curaga! CURAGA!" She screamed the last, giving all the magic she had left to that spell. The result was that Rikku's back had regained some of the lost bone matter and a bit of the shredded flesh, but she still bled freely. Wakka handed Lulu an Ether hoping that it would help. The black haired woman took the Ether gratefully, then set to cast more healing spells.

The wolves watched the happenings from a safe distance away. Tahana looked to her Alpha for any sign of hope for the Al Bhed woman, but Nibikii's face was hard as stone. The proud silver wolf watched the human with a growing sense of loss, knowing that they may not be enough to heal her good human friend. As the Alpha female looked on the sad scene, she noticed both man and woman crying for their fallen comrade; even the dark haired child seemed to sense the low morale. Nibikii watched as the six-year-old approached them cautiously.

"Hey," Gabrielle said simply. "Do you know a way to help the pretty blond lady? And who's the kid she was protecting? Oh, and my Al Bhed isn't very good yet, so please do regular talk, 'kay?" Even as she was speaking, she was sizing up the two she-wolves. _I'd better not tick them off…don't wanna become puppy chow._

Nibikii looked over the child with a neutral expression. "Nae, Young One, I do not know of a cure for her. I was hoping that your kind would know of a way. She and I have been friends since she came to this village, and that was some time ago. The youth she shielded is her offspring. Rikku trusted me with her young just I had trusted her with my pups. You are that couple's pup, correct?"

"Yeah, they're my parents," Gabrielle said, looking over her shoulder to her parents and their friend. Lulu was shouting cure spells with as much gusto as she could muster, while Wakka kept handing her Ethers and Elixirs. "I've never met Miss Rikku, but I've sure heard stories about her. She was a Guardian to Lady Summoner Yuna right along with my parents. She's also Lady Yuna's cousin…on her mom's side I think. Mama and Daddy never mentioned her having a kid."

A tiny voice cut through all other conversation. "_Susso?_" (_Mommy?_) came out as barely a whisper. The word rang out again, stronger. The four-year-old little girl rose from her crouched position. "_Su-Susso?_" (_Mo-Mommy?_) Her large moss green eyes were watery with unshed tears, her cheeks flushed from crying. Her tiny fists bunched her skirt as she gulped several times, trying to hold back her panic.

"_Dandella, E's cekrd rana. Tuh'd pa yvnyet_," (_Dandella, I'm right here. Don't be_ _afraid_,) Rikku said as clearly as she could. One small, trembling hand reached out to her daughter in an attempt to calm her. "_E mavd y memory sphere eh dra ruica vun oui._" (_I left a memory sphere in the house for you._)

The tiny blond spun around to stare into her mother's pained eyes. "_Susso, oui ribd?_" (_Mommy, you hurt?_) Dandella held her mother's hand in both of her own. "_Femm oui kad paddan?_" (_Will you get better?_)

Dandella was answered with a sad smile. "_Dandella, E…E tuh'd dhehg E's kuhhy syga ed. Susso'c hud kuhha kad paddan, cfaadraynt._"(_Dandella, I…I don't think I'm gonna make it. Mommy's not gonna get better, sweetheart._) Rikku brushed her free hand through the child's hair, combing it gently with her fingers. "_E muja oui._" (_I love you._)

Wakka's entire frame shook with his repressed emotion as he held Rikku in place before her daughter. He couldn't peel his eyes away from the hideous wound that covered the entirety of the woman's back. His breath was shallow, afraid that the slight breeze would cause his friend even more pain. Small brown eyes watered at the exchange between mother and child. _Rikku_, he thought as tears rolled down his cheeks, _why didn' you try ta run while yah could? Why did yah stay here ta be ripped apart?_

Lulu let out a painful sob. Her thoughts were much like Wakka's, dark and questioning. _Oh, Rikku. Please hold on…Just let me gather my strength and wits, and I'll heal you. Please, don't leave us!_ The Dark Mage placed both hands on Rikku's shoulders, red eyes locked in determination. Her voice was hoarse from all her shouting while spell casting, but she wasn't giving up yet. With the skin-to-skin contact, Lulu hoped with all hope and prayed to the Fayth that this would help. "CURAGA!" Magic flowed right from Lulu's hands into Rikku's body through the contact. "CURAGA! CURAGA! CURAGA!..." She continued until she passed out, all of her magic power having left her and her emergency reserves completely empty as well.

Gabrielle stood wide-eyed at what was before her. Her father-the mighty Wakka—in tears, practically cradling a woman that the little girl had never seen before**;** her mother—the unmovable Lulu—passed out having overexerted herself after crying like a baby**;** the woman that she didn't personally know, but knew of well—Lady Guardian Rikku—trembling with her back shredded, possibly a pierced lung, and bleeding to death**;** and a foreign child who appeared to be Lady Rikku's daughter, crying and confused, no where near old enough to understand what was happening. The six-year-old looked to the wolves (who were still in their human disguises), the silver female nodded to her while the honey-colored one gave the saddest expression imaginable. Without a second thought, Gabrielle jogged to her mother's side and fanned the woman's flushed face. Lulu recovered after Gabrielle carefully poured a Potion down her throat.

Rikku gave another sad smile, finally summoning the strength to look around at her friends. _I don't have much time left—that is, if the dreams were right. I better get to the point quickly._ Tears swelled in her green eyes even before she spoke. "_Tuh'd suinh vun sa, vun E femm ymfyoc pa fedr oui_." (_Don't mourn for me, for I will always be with you_)_._ The tears flowed just as freely as the blood from her back. Black splotches darkened the edges of her vision as she continued, more to Wakka than anyone, "_Bmayca, dyga lyna uv…so tynmehk tyikrdan_." (_Please take care of…my darling daughter._)

Lulu, Gabrielle, the two she-wolves, and the four-year-old child watched as the light faded from the blond woman's eyes, her jaw slacked as her entire face relaxed, and her body ceased its trembling from the pain. One final word sounded with her last breath: "_Kuutpoa_." (_Goodbye_.) With that her body slumped, her eyes closed, and her heart beat its last pulse.

The red-haired man locked his arms as the word whispered on the breeze to his ears. As such, Rikku's innate form fell against his chest unhindered. Blood smeared across his vestment as she continued to slouch lifelessly against him. A sharp intake of breath announced his realization half a second later, as his arms fell to encircle his friend. He bowed his head to rest his chin upon the mass of blond locks. Sobs escaped his tight throat as he pulled her closer to himself.

Dandella sat silently as the stranger wept for her mother, a red liquid smearing across his yellow vest-thing. Her eyes were dulled as if in a trance. "_Ec Susso cmaabehk?_" (_Is Mommy sleeping?_) she found herself asking in a voice she didn't recognize. It took a moment for her to realize that she had said anything. She leaned forward and placed a tiny hand on her mother's dusty knee. She shook gently, trying to wake the woman. "_Susso?_" (_Mommy?_)

Lulu had both of her hands over her mouth, trying her utmost to hold back the enormous grief building steadily inside. At the child's attempt to 'wake' the blond woman, she couldn't hold it in any more. "Oh, dear child!" she cried, suddenly grasping the tiny blond in her arms. She held the little girl close to her breast with surprising strength. A moment later, Gabrielle found herself joining the other girl in the Dark Mage's lap. Lulu cradled both children to her bosom as she wept quietly.

**Translation Chart**

**English **A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

**Al Bhed **Y P L T A V K R E Z G M S H U B X N C D I J F Q O W


	2. Dreams of Foreboding

_**Chapter 1**_

**Disclaimer:**I do not own _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy X_, or _Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII_. These great and honorable games belong to their creators, not me. Oh, yeah; if it's Disney character or Disney setting/place/background, I don't own that either. Honest. Don't sue, 'cause I'm broke anyway. I do, however, own the characters Dandella and Gabrielle. **;)**

Oh, yeah. There's a mention of _Power Rangers_ in this chapter. I don't own them either. In regards to said mention, remember when in _PR Turbo_ they had all the outtakes? Remember the one where someone called, "Phone call for Jason David Frank," and he ran off and all the walking sushi guys acted like they were hit anyway? That's what I'm referring to. Thank you.

**Warning: **Fairly kid-friendly in this chapter. No where near as dark as the Prologue. Enjoy! ^^

**Printing Warning:** I don't seem capable of doing short stories, honest. **This chapter is 9 Pages when printed out.**

**A/N:** In this story, the realms of _Final Fantasy VII _and _Final Fantasy X _are like countries side-by-side in the same world…but don't come in this chapter. May add other realms of _FF_ later.

This story starts during Kingdom Hearts (the first one) towards the end. If you haven't played (and beat) the game at all, there are spoilers…But then again, if you don't play the game, why would you be reading a fanfiction based on it?

O.o.O.o.O

It had been months since the young Apprentice Mage had seen her master. Even her best friend's master had left. Dandella paced outside the Queen's drawing room, lost in her thoughts. She felt at a complete unease since Master Mage Donald had left in search of the kingdom's King. Of course, he hadn't gone alone, but she still could not quell her worry.

Softly spoken words echoed ever so slightly through the heavy set doors leading to the drawing room. Two voices were discernable—Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy. Lady Daisy was the Lady-in-Waiting for the queen, not to mention the Master Mage's long-time girlfriend.

Dandella knew that she would get her ears boxed if she were caught eaves-dropping, but she was desperate for information. Hesitantly, she pressed her ear to the cool stone door. Despite her best efforts, very little of the hushed conversation could be discerned. She stepped back away from the door, feeling let down and slightly ashamed of her actions. She fully gave up the idea of listening after a moment. With a shrug, she strode purposefully down the long, straight corridor. Dandella sighed pitifully as she came to the main courtyard.

Of course, it seemed to figure that when she needed to talk to the extent of feeling like she would explode that her best friend, the Apprentice to the Captain of the Royal Guards, would be practicing with those who had all ready achieved the status of Royal Officer. The Apprentice Knight, Gabrielle, was on another adrenaline rush from sparring with the Senior Guards. It was obvious in her movements—at least to Dandella, who had seen her spar with Royal Knight Sir Goofy—that Gabrielle was going easy on the men.

As she watched the spectacle play out, her mind wandered to distant memories and old questions. She and Gabrielle had been friends for as long as she could remember. During their respective trainings, Dandella would try to teach Gabrielle spells as she learned them, while Gabrielle had taught her some very useful moves over the years. The Apprentice Knight's parents—who were highly respected warriors with astounding fighting abilities—had raised her since the age of four years old. Dandella was very grateful to the entire family for their kindness and compassion, yet she always yearned to know her own family.

What had her parents been like? Did she have siblings, or was she an only child? Did she have any living relatives at all? If so, did they care about her at all; to leave her with people they may not have known? The all-too-familiar questions buzzed around her brain, seemingly taunting her.

She shook her head as if to clear it before drawing out her magic staff. (She could store it on her clothing, just like her mentor, and summon it when needed.) The staff itself was a longer version of that of her master's; when the "butt" of the staff was on the ground, the very tip of the wizard's hat reached her shoulder. Only the stick part was cloudy blue instead of wooden brown. She gave it a few experimental twirls with one hand, then picked up the pace, using both hands to spin it around faster.

The practicing with her staff served to work out a little stress and stretch her arms out in case of a sudden sparring match. Dandella strode to the small knoll by the fountain, using her staff as a walking stick. She idly took notice of Max, Sir Goofy's son, trimming the shrubbery near the Gummi Ship Landing and Launching pad.

Seeing the door that led to the pad only served to remind her of two more friends that were away. Chip and Dale were the Gummi Ship mechanics of Disney Castle, and as such, left with Donald and Goofy to find the King. They were the most rambunctious chipmunks she had ever seen in all her thirteen years of life. Very intelligent, but also very hyper. Despite their quirks, the Apprentice Mage missed them dearly. They could always help to cheer her up.

Dandella was so lost in her thoughts just then that she was caught by surprise by Max's "Whooooaa, whooaaa!" of loosing his balance. She turned to him quickly, seeing that he was about to fall, when instinct kicked in and she cast a quick spell. "Aero!"

A powerful gust of wind pushed the boy away from the edge of his perch. He clung to the closest object available at that moment, which just so happened to be the bush he was trimming, before relaxing. He released his death-grip shakily and gave Dandella a thankful smile. "Th-thanks, Dandella. I thought I was gonna fall for sure. Your magic is really strong if you can control it like that. How you used 'Aero' to push me back, I mean. Usually, it's just a protective barrier, right?"

Dandella gave a small smile and a nod. "Never a problem, Max. I'm just happy it worked." She blushed a little as she continued, "That was the first time I did that, in all actuality. I had meant for it to form a protective shield around you to soften the fall, but it seems the wind had a better idea." She scratched the side of her neck in a nervous habit, looking away for a moment. When she looked to him again, her blush was under control. "Are you all right? You seemed pretty panicked for a bit there."

"Oh, I'm fine! May have gotten a few scratches from the bush, but it's no big deal." He glanced to the side, wondering if he should really ask his next question. "Have you heard anything about Master Mage Donald or my dad? They've been gone a while, and still no word."

The girl hung her head sadly. "Nae, I haven't. One would think that you would hear before me—after all, Sir Goofy is your father. Jiminy Cricket is with them, so we will surely get a full report once they return."

"Right," Max sighed. He'd had conversations similar to this once a week with either Dandella or Gabrielle. He didn't even bother asking the Acting Captain—Sir Fluffy, as the two girls and he had dubbed him—anymore, after getting the run around only to come to the conclusion that word had yet to come. He may not have been aura sensitive, but he could still see the gloom hanging off his friend. "Hang on a second; I'll be right down!"

He clambered down the ladder hurriedly, leaving the trimmers above. "Heh, I could use a break anyway, and you look about ready to pop from frustration." He was answered by a slight rose hue appearing on the girl's cheeks. He stepped off the last rung, turned to face her, and stopped short, breath hitching in his throat. He had to admit, he never quite got over his puppy love (no pun intended) toward the blonde girl in front of him, nor had she ever been aware of it.

Even looking miserable, she seemed breathtaking in his eyes. Long honey-blonde hair pulled back into a French braid, the bangs reached her eyebrows, and long soot-colored eyelashes framed large moss green eyes set in an oval face. She had the telling spiral pupils of the Al Bhed. Skin of pale peach with pink tinting her cheeks, her slim neck lead to narrow shoulders. Semi-long, thin arms hung at her sides, ending with dainty, almost delicate hands. Small feet connected to well-toned legs, which connected to trim hips, which lead to a slim waste, which lead his eyes to the forming bust, which connected with the aforementioned narrow shoulders. Quite lovely for a thirteen—almost fourteen—year-old.

Her clothes suited her well, both for her practice and her personal taste. A light blue, one-piece leotard-like garment (short sleeved shirt with crisscrossing ties binding the back combined with short shorts) covered her abdomen. That was partially covered by a slightly darker blue jacket that clasped by a small silver chain in the front; it had long sleeves that belled at the wrists and little slits cut just below the shoulders to allow more movement, a plain collar, and had twin coattails that ended in points just to the backs of her knees. She wore suede midnight blue boots that reached three inches shy of her knees and had blunt, half an inch heels.

_Oh yeah_, Max thought wryly, _I still have a long way to go to get over that one_. Instead, he plastered a smile on his face, hoping that the object of his affections didn't notice his slight stare. "So, Dandella, what's bothering you?" He tilted his head to the side, trying to see under the curtain of bangs.

She worried her lip a moment before answering. "I've been having these weird dreams lately. I was going to ask Gabrielle what she could make of it. Shall we have a sit atop the knoll and wait for her?" her voice had lost its depressed tone for the almost chipper sound. The Apprentice Mage peered up at Max through her bangs, not having any idea how cute it looked to the boy.

Max smile genuinely for the invitation, "Sure." He offered his arm in a playful gentlemanly gesture, and was rewarded by her giggle as she took the offered arm. They walked in companionable silence to the small grassy knoll. Continuing his near mocking of gentleman-ness, Max assisted the young lady into a sitting position before assuming one for himself. Dandella sat on her heels patiently waiting, while Max found himself with his rear on the ground and his legs straight out to the front.

At this point in Gabrielle's spar, one of the fiercer opponents found himself blinking as he went sailing through the air. Another lay sprawled flat on his back, chest heaving. A third received a playful kick to the derrière after he'd been spun in another direction from a hit. All this and Gabrielle was grinning like a mad woman.

Max was honestly terrified of the prospect of ever being on that girl's bad side. At sixteen, she was tall with well-toned and obviously powerful muscles. Average sized feet conjoined into long legs that connected to wide hips, to a slim waste, to a heavy bust, to slightly broad shoulders. Average sized hands connected with visibly strong arms that connected to those almost manly shoulders. "Daddy's frame and Mama's curves," was what the Apprentice Knight had always proclaimed with pride. Her neck was feminine enough, and lead to a very pretty face. Her skin was like fresh milk mixed with a bit of honey—pale but with a healthy glow. Red lips that were usually quirked into a smirk lay below a straight nose. Red irises with specks of brown; these eyes gave Max the creeps. Shaggy black hair with chestnut highlights cut into a short mixture of her parents hairstyles—long bangs that covered one eye, while the back barely touched the nape of her neck.

In the boy's mind, it was truly a wonder so many of the Royal Guard actually _wanted_ to spar with Sir Goofy's Apprentice. As if her build wasn't obtrusive enough, her obvious lack of modesty put the youth on his guard. Boots as green as grass covered her feet and slouched around her ankles. A bit of silver armor covered from about mid-shin to mid-thigh on her right leg, a complicated hinge system at the knee. A short lime-green pleated skirt hung at her hips (slanting downward in the front to give it an enticing 'V' shape), and kept there by two crisscrossing belts of medium brown and a darker brown. A tough forest green, leather corset-like bustier covered and supported her impressive bust, while several straps of dark leather on the front and back attached it to shoulder guards, each bearing the Disney Castle crest. Fingerless gauntlets protected the backs of her hands and forearms from damage.

Max audibly gulped as Gabrielle summoned her shield to block a boa staff, then hit another man in the face with it in the same movement. The man with the staff soon received a fast kick to the stomach; the only thing that could be discerned to the viewer was a green streak in that direction. Max gulped again, _Sheeesh! And this is going easy on them?_

All eyes were on the girls when they sparred, occasionally wincing at the resounding _clang_ of stern lacquered wood on cold tempered steel. Gabrielle always wore a grin reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat when engaged in heated battle; Dandella schooled her expression neutral no matter her opponent. While the two girls could certainly be fierce in battle, they were as friendly as could be when at ease. The Apprentice Knight was upbeat and outgoing to the point of being boisterous. The Apprentice Mage was considerably more reserved and formal, almost shy.

Gabrielle sent another of her opponents sailing high toward the outside of the designated practice area. The man had tried to spin so that he landed on his feet, but miscalculated his speed, thus skidding on his knees out-of-bounds. The last soldier blinked at his comrades (having all fallen to the teenaged Apprentice, they stood outside the ring), then returned his gaze to the obvious champion of the round. With a resigned shrug, he feigned taking a hit, thus performing a spinning jump backwards and crashed to the ground. (A/N: Think _Power Rangers_ fight scene outtakes.) For a few precious seconds, the entire courtyard froze and stared in wonder…after those few seconds, the entire courtyard burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Max held his stomach as tears came to his eyes, he was laughing so hard. He noted that the blonde beside him had both of her hands over her mouth, trying vainly to suppress the giggles. He looked back out to the 'battlefield' to see many of the oh-so-professional warriors of the kingdom literally rolling with their laughter…even Sir Fluffy was bent double, shoulders heaving and mouth open wide.

What amused him the most was that the winner of the spar was rolling towards his position. Literally rolling. While the men rolling on ground rocked back and forth in their mirth, the Apprentice Knight was actually rolling in one direction—_up_ the grassy knoll. This only caused the boy to laugh even harder—that and the blades of grass in her hair and armor. Fortunately, the belts at the girl's hips did their job and kept the tiny, pleated skirt in place.

Gabrielle's peels of glee became louder and louder as she approached the sitting pair. The dark-haired girl finally came to a stop before them, lying flat on her stomach with arms and legs waving franticly in her giggles. After a full minute, her fit subsided and her limbs came to a rest. "That was great…now if only we caught that on camera!" She shifted her head towards her friends with a gentle smile. The gentleness even reached her usually semi-fierce eyes.

Dandella gave a truly happy smile to her best friend. "You did well today." Her cheeks were flushed from her break in composure. A small breeze brushed past, causing their hair to drift for a moment. "This may not be the time, but I was hoping we could talk," she said quietly, head slightly lowered.

Noticing Gabrielle's look of piqued interest (slightly widened eyes were the key), Max decided to join the conversation. "Dandella mentioned having weird dreams." He paused to gauge the girls' reactions. Taking the blonde's nod and the dark-haired teen's raised eyebrow as signs to continue. "Eh, she mentioned wanting to see what you thought about it…right?" the last word was directed at the blue-clad girl.

The Apprentice Knight shifted so that she lay on her side, her head propped up by a hand. "You don't have to ask, Dandy. You know I'll always listen. Go ahead, shoot. I'm all ears." She draped her free arm across her exposed middle.

Dandella closed her eyes, getting her thoughts together. "I've been having this reoccurring dream. I start at a beautiful stained glass floor. There is no light to be seen or to see by, but for the floors. I wander as if being lead through an intricate maze. As the dream progresses, I'm lead to different floors, each holding a different scene. All the floors depict lovely young ladies in full-length gowns…but all the woman seem to be asleep. On the last floor, there is a large set of double doors. They are tall, ornate, and grey-ish in color with gold handles. The most bizarre thing about them is that they don't lead anywhere. It's just a set of doors in their frame that don't connect to anything." She took a deep breath, trying to focus on how she wanted to continue.

"At that floor, I hear a voice. It sounds like a boy. He always calls out for help. He calls for two people in particular, actually: 'Sora' and 'Kairi'. He seemed so desperately afraid and near panic, as if, if no one heard him and listened, someone would die. It echoes terribly in there, but it seemed like his voice was coming from the door. I looked around, trying to find him, but to no avail. Sometimes, there is the sound of a man cackling in the distance. I think he is mocking the boy."

Gabrielle let loose a low whistle. She shook her head, both eyebrows creeping up her forehead. "This can't be a coincidence. There's just no way," she muttered, eyeing the grass as if it did something to offend her.

Max sat up straighter suddenly. "You guy—err, girls have been having similar dreams again. Haven't you?" He looked them both over with a scrutinizing gaze. "So, Gabrielle, tell us about your dreams. Maybe together, they'll make sense."

The predominately green-clad girl turned her 'not happy' expression from the grass to her master's son. A smirk tugged at her lips when she heard him gulp quite audibly. "Fine. No light except for the glowing stained glass floors that depict girls in uncomfortable looking dresses. It's as if there's a string attached to my belt, tugging me along. On the second floor, I get to fight some low-level Heartless and move on. By the last floor, there's this huge set of double doors standing by themselves. There's this voice that sounds like a little boy hollering for 'Riku' and 'Kairi' to hang on because he's coming to the rescue, or something like that. One time, a few weeks ago, I heard a girl's voice. 'Sora, please save Riku,' she said real sad like. Anyway, soon after that I wake up." During her speech, she shifted onto her back with both hands behind her head, legs crossed at the ankles.

Max nodded, more to himself than anything. Silence reigned for a few moments while all three youths gathered their thoughts and stowed away the information. The boy broke the quiet in a soft voice, not wanting to startle the girls out of their own processing. "So, the boy Dandella hears is this 'Riku', and Gabrielle hears 'Sora' and 'Kairi.' Okay, that leaves the question of who is the creepy old guy. Got any ideas?"

Both Apprentices shook their heads in the universal sign for 'no', the blonde hung her slightly with the gesture. Gabrielle spoke softly, "The next question is pretty obvious. What does the door represent?"

"It may be that the door leads to another world. The seal between Elysium—the Dream World—and the unknown world may be imperfect or losing its substance, thus allowing the contact. Another possibility is that the door represents an unknown element." Dandella sighed, her eyes unfocused as she thought back to her dreams. "Maybe, we hear them because their hearts are calling for help..."

"And we're just receptive to their pleas," Gabrielle finished. She shifted to face her friends again. "I guess Dandy hears this 'Riku' because she's more of the sensitive type. I hear 'Kairi' and 'Sora' because…eh…I dunno. They need less morale support?" She was rewarded with a snort from Max and an amused expression from Dandella. "Seriously, though, I have no clue."

Max scanned the area with semi-tired eyes. He noted all the shrubbery that was still in need of a good trimming around the courtyard. Bringing his eyes back to his only female friends, he let loose a sigh. "Well, ladies, it was nice talking to you. But this fledgling still needs to get back to work. These bushes aren't going to trim themselves, you know. See you later, all right?" Receiving nods as reply, he clambered to his feet and headed back to where he left his trimmers. "…Now," he murmured, "which one of these dang bushes was it?"

The two girls remained in their spots upon the knoll. Both basked in the serenity of the quiet atmosphere. Gabrielle simply let her mind go blank as she stared into the nothing that would have been Max's stomach if he hadn't left. Dandella, however, was temporarily lost in her thoughts. When she spoke, it was very quiet. "I have a suspicion as to the identity of the man from my dream." This earned a questioning glance from the older girl. "I am in no way certain, of course, but…"

"But what, Dandella?" Gabrielle inquired just as softly. She could tell from the tone of voice and distracted expression that the Apprentice Mage did not want eaves-droppers for this conversation. "Who is it you suspect?"

"I…," the petite girl began in an unsure voice, "I read a book from the library a while ago—the book was about how Hollow Bastion fell to Darkness. The ruler of this world was a Wiseman. He had read every book and parchment he could get his hands on. One day, he pondered the heart—how it originated, how it became tainted with Darkness, and what happened to the heart once it was consumed by Darkness. Soon after, the Wiseman discovered the first Heartless to appear in Hallow Bastion. As a scientist, he performed experiments with the Heartless. He had seven apprentices that assisted him with such experiments, taking notes to assist him. There are no records as to what the Wiseman did in those experiments.

"Data indicates that after the discovery of the Heartless, several people went missing, and the families of the lab assistants never heard from them again. Over time, more and more people disappeared…Until finally, the townspeople formed a search party to examine the Wiseman's castle. They found nothing on the upper levels, but came across something horrible in the lower chambers. The book did not say what was found below the surface." Dandella had kept her eyes averted from her best friend as she spoke of the tragic story, not even looking up as she finished.

"Yeah, I remember reading that a long time ago. The Wiseman's name was 'Ansem', wasn't it? Any way, what does all that have to do with what's been goin' on?" Gabrielle searched the younger girl's face with a gentle expression

"The book I read mentioned that when the world was swallowed by Darkness, a star in the heavens was suddenly extinguished."

"Meaning what exactly?" Gabrielle shifted in unease. She definitely did _not_ like where this conversation was going.

"The theory used most often today is that there is a world for every star in the heavens…That is, if the worlds are not the twinkling stars themselves." The Apprentice Mage remained motionless in her kneel upon the grass, the gentle breeze softly ruffling her hair and clothes. Her eyes remained trained at a seemingly distant location toward the northwest.

Gabrielle couldn't help her slight fidgeting at this point. What was said actually made sense, but that certainly didn't make her feel any better. "Uh-huh. So you're sayin' that the disappearing stars are caused by…" Here the Apprentice Knight couldn't quite find the right words.

"By their corresponding worlds being swallowed by the Darkness," Dandella finished for her. "Light cannot be seen if no light is emitted or reflected. That is why there are so few stars in the sky."

Gabrielle shook her head, "That makes a bizarre sort of sense…in a bad kind of way, I think. But hey, let's change subject, shall we? Hmmmn, different subject…How about you tell me more about the boy in your dreams? How old does he sound?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Dandella's moss green eyes came back into focus after a moment. "He sounds to be about…I don't know, between fourteen and sixteen. I'm really not sure, though. He seems to feel guilty about something and is trying to make up for it, at least that's the impression I got from the dreams. Other than that, I have nothing to go on."

The red-eyed girl could not hold back her smirk, "Sora seems like a pipsqueak trying to be a hero. He sounds about twelve to me, but you know I'm not that great at guessing ages."

The two girls sat and chatted atop the small, grassy knoll for some time more. They stood at the dusk's twilight and watched the bright sphere set behind the horizon as the fireflies came out to welcome the night. Gabrielle broke the companionable silence, "Do you think we'll be having those dreams again tonight, Dandy?"

Dandella nodded, a slight smile adorned her face. "I hope so. I want to tell off Ansem and try to give Riku hope. I would like to save that boy one day, but I'll settle for cheering him up for now."

With that, the girls parted ways. Gabrielle strode to the east. The Knight barracks were in the middle barrier protecting the castle from outside intruders. Dandella made her way to the south end of Disney Castle. It was there that the Mages' dormitory was located.

**Translation Chart**

**English**

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

**Al Bhed**

Y P L T A V K R E Z G M S H U B X N C D I J F Q O W


	3. Conversing in Elysium

_**Chapter 2 **_

**Disclaimer:**I do not own _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy X_, or _Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII_. These great and honorable games belong to their creators, not me. Oh, yeah; if it's Disney character or Disney setting/place/background, I don't own that either. Honest. Don't sue, 'cause I'm broke anyway. I do, however, own the characters Dandella and Gabrielle. **;)**

**Warning: **Fairly kid-friendly in this chapter. No where near as dark as the Prologue. Enjoy! ^^ Before I forget, I can't do 'Ansem' very well, so he'll seem a bit OoC…sorry for the 'Ansem' fans, but tough phooey! (Imaging the last two words in a Donald Duck voice! ...Yes, I know I'm weird.)

**Printing Warning:** This chapter is **8 Pages when printed** out. I don't seem capable of doing short stories, honest.

**A/N:** In this story, the realms of _Final Fantasy VII _and _Final Fantasy X _are like countries side-by-side in the same world…but don't come in this chapter. May add other realms of _FF_ later. Actually, there is one tiny reference to _FF X_ in this chapter.

This story starts during Kingdom Hearts (the first one) towards the end. If you haven't played (and beat) the game at all, there are spoilers…But then again, if you don't play the game, why would you be reading a fanfiction based on it?

O.o.O.o.O

Dandella tossed in her sleep; her long hair splayed over her plush pillow. The blankets were bunched here and there, leaving a limb or two uncovered. Her nightshirt was all ready damp with sweat. As she slept, Dandella dreamed of the same stained glass floors, the imposingly tall doors, and impending Darkness.

(*_In the Elysium, the Dream World_*)

"Hello?" Dandella cried into the nothingness around her. "Riku? Are you here?"

A sinister laugh echoed from nowhere as a tiny voice called out. "Who's there?" The voice grew stronger as he continued to speak. "And how do you know my name?"

The girl inhaled deeply in her joy before her reply. "My name is Dandella!" She stood barefoot before the pair of doors, her nightshirt clinging to her figure. Her hair was tied back in a long, loose braid. "I want to help you, Riku!"

The insane laugh sounded again. "Help him? There is no way to help him!" the man's voice announced, then went back to the maddened laughter.

"Um, you can ignore him if you want. I try to," Riku mumbled off-handedly. "Do you know Sora and Kairi?"

Dandella listened with all her might, but it still seemed that the voices were coming from the other side of the double doors. "I have not met them, but I have heard of them. My friend can hear their voices in her dreams…As I am hearing yours now. I wasn't sure if I could actually contact you here."

One could almost hear Riku blink from his side of the doors, "You're dreaming?" His tone was that of awe.

Dandella nodded despite the boy's not being able to see her. "Yes. My friends and I hypothesize that this is Elysium, the Dream World. So, how do I help you? How do I find you?"

"If you open the door," the man's voice gained a hollow quality, "Darkness will envelop you. The Darkness takes all that it desires."

Dandella took a fighting stance. "Ansem, I presume? They say you caused the destruction of your own world—that you gave yourself to the Darkness to inherit its knowledge. Are the supposed Wiseman that gave his own people to the Heartless?"

Evil laughter sounded again. "Yes, I am Ansem the Wise. What be it to you, child?" The fluttering of clothes could be heard from his side of the doors. "And you, Riku, you have a heart of light trying to save your little, dark one. How quaint. I will allow you to speak to her for now." With that, Ansem fell silent, not even his cackle echoed about.

Dandella stood defiant of Ansem's arrogance, but soon turned her attention to the boy. "Riku?" she ventured.

"Yeah, I'm still here." His voice was somewhat pained to the Apprentice Mage's ears. After a pause, he said, "It's good to hear a kind voice. We don't have many of those in here. It's mostly just the scratching sounds of Heartless moving around and Ansem's insane giggle fits."

The girl dropped her stance to stand straight, one arm reaching across her torso to clasp her other at the elbow. Her moss green eyes scanned the intricate stained glass flooring. "When I heard you in other dreams, you were calling Sora and Kairi. Who are they?"

"I'm not sure if I could call them friends anymore—not after all I've done. Sora and I always competed for Kairi's attention growing up. Because of me, Kairi had lost her heart and Sora has been thrown into battle after battle. Those in league with the Darkness said that they could find Kairi's heart, so I agreed to help them. In doing that, I had to help stack the odds against Sora. I've been sent to seize the Princesses of Heart a couple of times. I fought against Sora personally a few times…Some friend I am, huh?"

Dandella bit her lower lip, allowing the boy's words to sink in. She could hear the self hatred and guilt in his voice as he spoke. "I think I know what Darkness binds you, Riku. Guilt. You blame yourself for everything." She switched to Al Bhed, her native tongue, without thinking, "_Ed ec ouin kiemd dryd pehtc oui du dra tyng. Namayca dryd, oui crymm pycg eh dra mekrd_." (_It is your guilt that binds you to the dark. Release that, you shall bask in the light._) "You did all that with Kairi's best interests at heart, correct?"

"That's how it started, yeah," was Riku's reply.

"When you fought Sora," she continued, "you were making him stronger, helping him improve, were you not?"

Riku's response was somewhat hesitant, trying to figure out where this was leading. "That's a result, yeah—but that wasn't my intention at the time."

Dandella pressed on for more information. "Why is that you fought Sora? What triggered you to want to fight him? What does the Darkness want with him?"

Riku shrugged on his side of the door. "The Keyblade chooses its master, and it chose Sora. That's why the Darkness is after him—because only the person with the strongest heart can be the Keyblade Master.

"The reason why I wanted to fight him…I-I was mad at him. The first time I saw him after we got separated, he had two weirdoes at his side. I felt like he had picked up those two to replace Kairi and me. And he made friends with a bunch of the locals. I thought he had completely forgotten about us…about me," his voice trailed off as he finished.

Dandella lowered her eyes, hearing the obvious pain in his voice. "Riku, my friend has dreams like mine. She said that she can hear Sora and Kairi in her dreams. They are always calling out to you—…"

"Probably cussing me out."

"No!" Dandella cried out, surprised at the boy's reasoning. "Gabrielle said that they are telling you to hold on and be strong. Gabri said a quote to me just this afternoon! It was Kairi; she said, 'Sora, please save Riku.'"

Riku was silent for a moment, then spoke softly. "Kairi doesn't know all of the terrible things I've done. Of course, she'd just think of me as plain old Riku that she grew up with."

"I believe that you are mistaken in that. I got the impression that Sora and Kairi both care deeply for you. Just open your eyes, and you will see that. Besides, you regret your actions, do you not? Then there in still hope."

The boy sniffled. "I want to go home," he sulked. "I want to see my mom and the rest of boring old Destiny Islands."

"Islands? You mean beaches, sand, and the sea? I have a vague memory of a beach; I think I was very small back then. I've lived in Disney Castle for as far back as I can remember, except for that one beach."

"The only castle I've seen is Hallow Bastion," one could practically hear the watery smirk in Riku's voice. He leaned against the door lightly.

Dandella gave a small smile. "According to Gabrielle, Sora said, 'Fight it, Riku! Be strong; don't give in!' and 'Hold on guys! I'm coming!' Sora didn't forget, and he didn't replace you. It's fairly obvious—no one could ever replace you in Sora's heart. He loves you two."

Riku took a step back in shock. Color rose in his cheeks at the possible prospect the girl had just raised in his mind. "He…he _loves_ me? I doubt it."

Realizing what she had said exactly, and how it could be construed, Dandella continued hurriedly. "Well, there are all different types of love. The Love of Family, the Love Between Friends, and the Love of Lovers. You could very well be like family to him, Riku." Dandella could feel a breeze coming though the gaps in between the doors and the frame. The cold air brought goosebumps to her exposed limbs. "You said earlier that Sora was accompanied by two 'weirdoes'? What did they look like?"

Riku clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as the mental image asserted itself. "One is a duck-guy wearing a blue jacket, a blue hat, no pants, and waving a weird stick around. The other is a dog-man in mostly green clothes, carrying a shield."

The Apprentice Mage blinked in surprise. "That…that sounds like Master Donald and Sir Goofy. They left Disney Castle in search of our King. It would seem that they teamed up with your friend, Sora, so they could all look for their friends." Dandella smiled wholeheartedly. "Perhaps you've seen His Majesty without realizing it; he is, um, rather mouse-like in appearance…very chipper, kind of squeaky voice…?"

Riku leaned against the door frame casually, "Sorry, but I've never heard of him, Miss Dandella."

The girl's cheeks colored at the title. "No need for the 'Miss'," she stated. "Just 'Dandella' will suffice. My friends call me 'Dandy' every now and again."

"Okay, Dandella." Riku couldn't see it, but he was rewarded with a rosier blush from the girl.

Deciding to change the subject, Dandella asked the first thing that came to mind. "Hey, Riku? What do you look like? No to be rude or anything! It's just that I would like to recognize you if we were to meet face to face."

The boy blinked at her forethought. "Sure, eh." He scratched his head a moment before continuing. "Well, I have pale skin, aquamarine eyes, and my body is pretty muscular. My hair is kind of bluish silver and reaches my shoulders. As embarrassing as it is, I still have my baby cheeks. No piercing or tattoos. No birthmarks or moles in plain sight. Eh, that's about it really. How about you?"

Dandella reached behind her and started playing with a bit of her hair. "I have honey blonde hair that reaches my hips; I haven't had it seriously cut in years and usually have it tied back in a braid. I might be considered a little thin, but I think I'm fairly lean. Umm, my eyes are moss green." She giggled remembering one of his comments, "I have baby cheeks, too. My ears are pierced, and I don't have any natural or unnatural visible markings. Eh, I have a light tan…"

"You said 'Master Donald'. Why do you call him that?" Riku asked curiously.

The girl curled a bit hair between her nimble fingers absently as she replied, "I learn magic from him. Master Donald was trying to teach me how to create my own spells when he left. I think I've all ready found one. I call it _Alumus_; it's just a little shining from the end of my staff, really."

"That's cool, I guess. So it just kind of glows a bit?" Riku couldn't help but feel a little amazed. This girl was speaking to him in her dreams and could do magic—so far as to teach herself spells. She seemed really kind-hearted in a way that reminded him of a less excitable Kairi.

Dandella leaned against the doorframe, still playing with her hair, as she nodded. "Something like that, yes. Gabrielle had joked that I would never need a flashlight after I learned it." A slight rose hue warmed her cheeks. "Riku…is there any way that I could see you? It sounds like you're on the other side of the door, but I'm not completely sure."

The boy let his head rest against the frame. "Yeah, I'm over here. The other side, I mean. As to the other part…" He trailed off, not sure how to answer.

However, he didn't get to finish that thought. Hushed giggles erupted from Riku's side of the doors. The boy shouted at the source of the giggle fit, "Shut up!"

The laughing continued until Ansem burst out, "You're blushing! You're blushing!" Obviously, this was aimed at the teenaged male.

"Ansem, shut UP!" the boy practically screamed. Ansem just kept howling with laughter at the expense of the angry teen.

While Dandella was slightly surprised that the man had so blatantly poked fun at her new friend, she was angry that he kept at it. She backed away from the doors with one elegant leap and took a defiant battle stance. "Stop picking on him and mind your own business! Go read a book or something!" It was hard to imagine such a commanding tone from a girl that seemed so friendly two minutes ago.

One could practically hear the oh-so-dignified Ansem rolling across the ground in his fit. "You two crack me up! A goody-goody and a spoiled, prideful brat! I'm feeling generous today, so I'll tell you what. If you can summon your glow, Dandella, I will allow Riku to step out for a few minutes. What say you?"

"I accept!" was cried with a sharp nod toward the double doors. The Apprentice Mage raised her right hand into the air above her head, eyes scanning her surroundings suspiciously. A soft glimmer twinkled, and a long staff blue lacquered wood materialized in thin air. It fell into her outstretched palm effortlessly.

Taking the staff in both hands, she slammed the 'butt' of it against the floor, only to raise foot from the stained glass. "_Alumis!_" she cried, and the wizard's hat atop the staff began to pulse softly with light. The pulsing became stronger with the girl's will until it became a constant glow. The light illuminated a four-foot radius around the Apprentice.

Ansem's confident—yet slightly deranged—laughter choked in his throat. A few coughs later, the man replied, "You actually pierced the Darkness with your light. Your master has taught you well." With a resigned huff, he continued, "I shall fulfill my end of our agreement as you did yours. Go on, boy."

Dandella kept her light shining strong as one of the great doors inched open. The tip of a black shoe appeared just in the crack of the doors. Black gloved fingers curled around the edge of the open door. The shoe scooted forward, allowing a bit of pant leg to be seen. The pant leg was actually a pair of waders bound to the boy's ankle by a small black belt. The shoe scooted a little more, and Dandella could see how the waders were attached to the boy's jeans, how his gloves didn't reach his wrist, and how his arms were bare. Soon the sliver of a yellow shirt could be seen.

Riku continued his slow emerging, making sure to not open the door too much. The moment he was clear, he slammed the door behind him. He stood a moment with his back to the girl and his forehead pressed to the hard stone. "Dandella, could you dim that a little? I'm not used to the light."

"Right!" she chirped nervously. The shining wizard's hat lost quite a few watts at the break in focus. "Is that better?"

"A little more, if you can." Riku had tried to crack his eyes open, but the light stung them even when hidden in his own shadow.

Dandella let the hardy glow lapse into a gentle pulse. "How about now, Riku?" She eyed him nervously, noting that his hair was indeed a pale, pale blue.

The boy tried to open his eyes again, and this time, he wasn't blinded. "It's all right. I can handle this amount of light." He straightened his spine, then twisted to pop a joint in the small of his back.

The girl watched as Riku slowly turned to face her. At the sight of his face, her heart skipped a beat, and her spell lost the last of its potency. "Sorry," she apologized, realizing that they were shrouded in darkness, except for the light emitted by the stained-glass floor. "Are you all right?"

Riku blinked, allowing his eyes to adjust. He examined their surroundings without a word until the silence began to bug him. "You know, I've been here before…in a dream before I left Destiny Islands. But before, I was alone—except for a voice telling me about how to fight the Heartless, something about the shadow of my heart, and some other weird stuff. The voice sounded really dorky." Finally, his eyes fell upon Dandella, and silence reigned again.

Dandella released her hold upon her staff, and it twinkled out of existence. When she looked back to the boy, moss green met aquamarine. The Apprentice Mage cleared her throat before speaking. "I am Dandella, Apprentice to Master Mage Donald. Pleased to meet you, Riku of Destiny Islands," she curtsied as best she could in her nightshirt.

Riku's breath caught in his throat as he watched the girl elegantly bow. He slapped his hands to his sides and bowed, bending at the hips and keeping his back straight, "S-same here."

She watched him bow curiously, "Is that how one formally greets a person in Destiny Islands? It looks a little awkward."

The boy rose from his bow with a dash of pink on his pale cheeks. "Actually a proper Destiny Island greeting is this." He performed the bow perfectly. (A/N: _FF X_'s Blitzball victory sign/Yeven praying bow.)

"That is definitely better," Dandella said with a warm smile. She had watched his movements carefully, enabling her to mimic him very well. "Like this?"

His eyebrows shot up as he blinked in surprise. "That's perfect! Sheesh, you're a fast learner."

"I suppose so. After all, earlier was the first time I had tried to control the glow of _Alumis_. Perhaps it is the light in one's heart, and the spell simply channels that light." While she was talking, Dandella's eyes wandered to her hands clasped in front of her. Snapping out of her thoughts suddenly, she scratched a spot on the back of her neck nervously. "Oh, sorry. I tend to do that a lot—thinking aloud, I mean."

Riku blinked several times. Without thinking, he said, "I take it that you're one of those people that is clueless of your own beauty." Once he realized what he had said, he cupped his mouth with one hand and watched the blonde for her reaction.

Dandella stared blankly at the boy for a moment, then burst into giggles. After a solid two minutes, she was bent nearly double in her laughter.

The boy could feel his cheeks burning as he watched the girl fall to her knees. One small hand covered her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle the laughter, while the other held her abdomen. He dropped his hands to his sides, and clenched them into fists; Riku was torn between yelling and crying.

At long last, the girl's fit subsided. She took several long breathes to calm her diaphragm before looking up at her companion. Riku stood trembling, fists by his sides, and tears welling in his eyes. "Riku, I'm—"

Riku cut her off in his burst of anger. "You think I'm stupid? You think you're better than me!"

Dandella got to her feet quickly. She peered into his eyes, saw the anger and hurt, and looked away in shame. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to laugh. It's just, well, most everyone overlooks me for Gabrielle. She's beautiful, in a dark, mysterious, curvaceous, bring-it-on sort of way. I'm just cute or adorable—not pretty or beautiful. You took me by surprise with that. I really am sorry, Riku."

At the first sorrowful 'I'm sorry', he regretted his words. He gulped when a tear slipped down the girl's cheek unhindered as she wrung her hands. Unclenching a fist, he used that hand to massage the back of his neck where angry tension had arisen from his outburst. "No, I should apologize. I shouldn't have yelled like that. Although, you are pretty. No arguing that."

The girl sniffled lightly. "Thank you." She wiped the tear track from her face with the back of a seemingly delicate hand. "You know, I was raised in Disney Castle, but I wasn't born there. My mother was Al Bhed; she died when I was four. Soon after that, my birthplace fell to Darkness. I don't even remember what it was called."

Riku took a tentive step forward. _She looks so sad_, the thought appeared in his mind suddenly. "That's really sad, about your world." As he finished his sentence, he noticed something odd. Dandella's image was fading in and out. "Dandella! What's happening to you?"

Dandella's sight focused and blurred in time with the fading in and out. Unlike Riku, she was calm about it. "This happens when I leave the dream," she explained. "I'm waking up."

"What?" Riku cried out desperately. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry, Riku, but apparently dawn is breaking." Her expression was saddened, but she attempted a smile for the boy's sake. "Don't worry. This has been a reoccurring dream for me. I'll be back."

"Don't go! Please, Dandella," he reached out to her, trying to clasp her hand, but his passed through without resistance. "Wha—NO! No, don't leave me! I don't want to be alone! And Ansem doesn't count!"

"Riku," Dandella said softly as she continued to fade out, a ghostly hand poised as if cupping the boy's cheek, "have courage, strength, and faith in your friends, as well as yourself."

With that, Dandella was gone from the World of Dreams. Riku fell to his knees as he unsuccessfully fought back sobs and Ansem's sardonic chuckle filled the room. The hinges of one of the great stone doors creaked, then Ansem called, "Come, boy. Time to return to the Darkness."

-T^T-

Dandella awoke quietly in her bed. The covers lay sprawled on the floor, and cold sweat covered her instead. The Apprentice Mage retrieved her blankets and pulled them over herself quickly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as Riku's trembling voice echoed in her mind. She rolled onto her side, pulling the blankets over her head, and cried into her pillow.

Five minutes passed without disruption for girl. During the sixth minute, a knock sounded against the wooden door which connected the room to the hallway. Another rapping sounded against the solid wood after receiving no response. By the seventh minute, there had been three separate sets of knocks. A fourth set rang out, and Dandella had had enough.

Unhappy dreams plus one non-morning person Apprentice Mage equals one very cranky Apprentice Mage. "I'm awake! Just let me be!" she nearly screamed, her voice scratchy from her dream.

After finally getting a response, the Enchanted Broom trio set off to awaken the rest of the castle's inhabitants.

-T_T-

Gabrielle casually strode down the deserted hallway, counting off the doors as she passed them. All of the doors in this hall in particular were identical, making finding the one room she was searching for quite perplexing. Throw in the fact that she hadn't trod this part of the castle in about a month, and that answers why Gabrielle was counting the doors.

"Sixty-three, sixty-four…sixty-eight…" she murmured softly. _At least I haven't lost count yet_, was her main thought upon the number seventy. She could clearly recall all the times she had counted her way up the hall, only to lose count and go back from which she came to start over. Long since in the past, but nowhere near forgotten.

At last, the Apprentice Knight found the door she believed to be the one she was searching for. She heard no movement from within, even with her ear pressed against the door. With one solid kick, the door burst open with such force that it slammed against the wall it was hinged to and swung back in place before Gabrielle could take a single step forward. "It wasn' locked?"

A slight creak echoed behind the Apprentice Knight. She spun to face the door that had just opened to reveal Dandella leaning heavily on the doorjamb, a groggy expression marring the beauty of her face. Most of her hair was trapped in a loose braid, but some had fallen during her sleep. Her moss green eyes were red rimmed and half-lidded. _Right number of doors, just on the wrong side of the hall_, was the wry thought that passed through Gabrielle's mind.

"Gabri? What are you doing?" The words tumbled out from a mouth that barely moved.

"Jeez! Dandy, you look like, I don't know, like Chip and Dale spent the night." Gabrielle quickly crossed the hall to her friend. The red-eyed Apprentice gently took the blonde into her arms.

Dandella allowed herself to be pulled into a tight hug by her best friend. "I made contact with Riku," Dandella whispered. Her arms encircled Gabrielle's waist. "He begged me not to leave him. He even tried to grab my hand to keep me there with him, but his hand passed straight through mine."

"Have you been crying all morn, Dandy-girl?"

"I dozed off a little while ago." The shorter girl buried her face in the crook of her friend's neck. "Ansem has caused such pain to so many, yet he shows not even the slightest remorse."

"So, Ansem is causing all of this mess between the worlds."

"He was not the one who started it, but he now commands the Darkness as if he had." She pressed the bridge of her nose into Gabrielle's jugular.

"What a fool," Gabrielle seethed. She nuzzled her cheek against the crown of blonde hair, her voice lost its fierce tone, "Don't let it getcha down, though. You got me, an' I can even beat up all the boys!"

Dandella sniffled miserably. "I wanted to help Riku, but all I did was cause him even more sorrow. Why am I so horrible?"

"Your not horrible, Dan-chan. I'm sure he was just so lonely there. He didn' wanna lose his company. There's no way anybody could think you horrible, Dandy. You're just too sincere."

Dandella raised her hands from Gabrielle's waist to her shoulder blades and pulled her closer. The blond cried even harder into the dark-haired girl's shoulder. Gabrielle tightened her grip on the younger girl as she (Dandella's) thin body slowly became lax in her (Gabrielle's) arms.

"Dan?" Gabrielle ventured gently. "Dandy, you awake?" Only soft, irregular breaths across her shoulder and neck were any sign of response. "Oh, well. Back to bed with ya, then," the Apprentice Knight muttered as she lifted Dandella's legs with one arm while the other supported her back.

Tears continued to stream down Dandella's cheeks as Gabrielle carried her into the quaint bedroom. She was carefully laid onto the bed, and the tousled blankets tucked under her chin. All this, and she did not stir.

Gabrielle yawned for the first time that morning, stretching this way and that. Already, the clocks and sun dials said the time to be ten-ish in the morning. She thought, _Oh, fine. I'll be back to sleep, too, _with a shrug. The dark-haired girl shrugged and wiggled out of her armor before laying herself next to her friend on the somewhat narrow bed. She pulled the covers over herself and prepared for sleep.

O.o.O.o.O

Gabrielle sat up and surveyed her surroundings. "This sure isn't Dandella's room." True enough, the area was a far cry from the Apprentice Mage's living quarters. It was the 'Door and Stained-Glass floor' dream, as she had dubbed it to herself.

The Knight-to-be climbed to her feet with a fair amount of swagger. She walked around the platform in a circle before calling out. "Heeeyy! Sora, are you here? Or is it Kairi this time? Heeeellllllooooooooooo!"

A flash of light appeared behind the huge stone doors, and a little groan issued forth, "Whoa, I'm dizzy. Not good." The sound of someone in heavy shoes and loose clothes stumbling to their feet echoed, and a brunette boy tripped over seemingly nothing, hopping on one foot into view. He caught himself before he fell to the floor. He looked around and saw only one difference from every other time he'd had the dream. There was  
>a girl, one with very little clothing. <em>At least all of the 'girl parts' are covered<em>, he thought as his cheeks took a rosy hue. "Ah, hey. I haven't seen you before."

Gabrielle smirked. She knew exactly how scantily clad she was, so of course she knew what the boy was blushing about. Low riding, black boyd-cut panties clung to her hips and a narrow black tube-top partially covered her chest; everything else was bare. "Yeah. I'm Gabrielle. What's your name?" She shifted her weight and huffed a little, making her impressive bust bounce.

The blush brightened, and the boy looked to the side blinking. "I'm Sora," he turned his head back to her, careful to keep his eyes on her face. Several steps forward and he could see her a little more clearly. "How did you get here?"

The girl decided that she wasn't done teasing the kid just yet. She leaned down to scratch at an imaginary itch on her knee and slowly straightened. "This may be hard to believe, but I'm dreaming. Somehow, our dreams have intersected and so we're talking to each other now. Weird, huh?" She finished with a warm smile, seeing his bright red face trying to stare at a point a good distance to her left.

Of course, Sora hadn't actually been paying attention when this 'Gabrielle' was talking. He was too busy trying to ignore the way her chest dipped when she bent over to scratch at her leg. Naturally, it took a moment for her words to register in his mind. His attention snapped back to the curvy girl, messy brown spikes waving wildly from the sudden movement. "Huh? You're dreaming? That _is_ weird!"

Gabrielle shifted her smile to seem a little more seductive, and walked closer to the boy. She swiveled her hips with each step, quite similar to how her mother had always done when she wanted something from her father (**A/N: **wink, wink.). She couldn't help the giggle that managed past her lips at the sight of the boys widened blue eyes. "So, Sora, do you know of a 'Kairi' or a 'Riku'? I've heard about them; sure do hope they're doing okay. Don't you?"

Sora's eyes bugged at her increasing closeness, then bugged even more as her words struck him. "You know Riku and Kairi! How are they? How do you know them? Where_ is_ Riku?"

Gabrielle raised both hands in the universal gesture for surrender. "Hold on there, Tiger. One question at a time!" She let out an amused laugh with a cocky grin. "I haven't actually met either of them, but I have heard about them. Eh, I haven't heard a peep about Kairi in…I dunno, a couple weeks, maybe. My friend, Dandy, can talk to Riku like I'm talking to you. He seemed kinda depressed from the impression I got, but then again, Dandy was a bit on the upset side when she told me about it. As to _where_ your friend is, good question. Sorry, but I can only tell what I hear."

Sora let out a disappointed sigh and scratched the back of his head. "I just hope everyone is alright. Riku was possessed by the bad guy last I saw him. And Kairi's safe in Traverse Town with Leon and the gang."

Gabrielle gave the boy a true smile, full of warmth. "Hey, Sora, as long as Dandella can talk to your friend, Riku, then we'll know he's alright…Or at least as alright as he'll get being on the other side of the darkened door. But don't worry; Dandella will keep him sane."

The boy turned a little to one side, trying to hide his expression. "How do I know you're really who you say you are? How do I know that I can trust you?" He returned his gaze to Gabrielle, his emotions raw on his face. "I want to believe you, but things have made me question myself, my instincts, lately. I need some kind of assurance. Some, some…I don't know, something real."

"Sure, okay." Gabrielle stopped a few feet from the boy, her smile faltering. "My name is Gabrielle Valentine, daughter of Luluna Valentine and Wakka. I'm an Apprentice Knight under the instruction of Sir Goofy of Disney Castle…"

Some of the torment left Sora's face only to be replaced by shock. "Wakka? There's a boy on my home island named Wakka! And did you say you know Goofy? Goofy never mentioned having an apprentice!"

The Apprentice Knight threw her head back and gave a full throated laugh. "So, what? You know Master Goof? That's cool. I was kinda counting on that. You see, our king is missing and the Queen is worrying herself sick, just about. Just to say that our Captain of the Guard is A-okay will definitely brighten her day. Is Master Mage Donald with you, too?"

Sora finally blinked. "Yeah, he's with me, too. What do you mean counting on that? And you didn't explain about the Wakka thing."

The girl simply shrugged, "I'm sure it's just coincidence. My dad grew up on the island of Besaid, not Destiny Islands. My dad had a brother, Chappu, but he was killed long before I was born." She squared her shoulders and her eyes turned serious. "I was counting on those guys to be with you to calm Queen Minnie. Like I said, she's worrying herself sick. Most of our castle's defenders have gone to aide other worlds, leaving very few warriors behind. Of course, other worlds need more protection than the castle—the Darkness hasn't spread to us yet. But the looming threat and absence of dear ones are still causing a lot of stress for the Queen. Just to say that Donald and Goofy are still kicking will ease a lot of tension. Queen Minnie is terrified that Goofy's son will be an orphan with no remaining relatives."

"He has a son!" The boy's eyes were nearly the size of tea saucers in his surprise. His next words were spoken more quietly, "What is his son like?"

"I guess Master Goofy didn't mention having a son either?" Gabrielle smiled kindly at Sora, "Max is the guy's name. His best friend is PJ, but PJ's dad was exiled from the castle years ago. Anyway, Max is thirteen now, getting a few fighting lessons from some of the guard, and is trusted to keep the greenery of the courtyard in shape."

"What else can you tell me about him?" Sora questioned curiously, all worries temporarily forgotten.

A mischievous grin crossed her face. "Weeelllllll," she intoned and waved the Keybearer closer to whisper conspiringly, "Max does have a great weakness."

Sora, of course, obeyed the gesture without a thought, and an arm went to hold the small of the busty girl's back while her arm enshrouded his shoulders. "Why would I need to know his weaknesses?"

Gabrielle's grin intensified in mischievousness as she slouched enough to complete the air of secrecy. "Why, to lend such knowledge to his father, of course! Goofy doesn't have any good gossip to embarrass Max with. If Sir Goof needed just a little leverage with Max, all he'll have to do is mention a name…"

"What name?" Sora asked without thinking.

"The name of the girl Max has a crush on," the girl whispered breathily, close to the boy's ear. "Dandella is her name. She's almost fourteen now, about your height, and pretty as a flower."

Sora shivered from the breath on his ear and wiggled from the partial embrace. "Isn't Dandella the one that could talk to Riku?"

"Yeah," Gabrielle said, straightening her posture. "Max knows about our dreams; we can always confide in him, you know. That's the thing about Sir Goofy's line—they are always trustworthy. They won't judge you, especially not for something you can't help or might help someone else. Max is really sweet, a good listener, and somehow always seems to know just what to say to make you feel better. Those qualities are what made Dandella open up to him about all the stuff in her life that no one else knows about. Even Donald doesn't know everything. I only know that kind of stuff because we grew up together."

"Wow," the boy muttered, "she must have gone through some rough times, then." He looked Gabrielle in the eyes. "If I ever meet her, I want to be enough of a friend that she can trust, someone like this Max."

Gabrielle smiled, "I'm sure you will…But you do realize that if you meet Dandy, I'll be there too, right?"

"Sure, sounds fun," his smile slipped and was replaced by alarmed confusion. "What's happening to you?"

The Apprentice Knight was fading in and out of view, slowly. To her vision, the world was fading in and out of focus. "Well, it seems this is the end of tonight's talk, Sora. Maybe we'll be able to talk again tomorrow. Say hi to Master Goofy for me, okay?"

Before the Keywielder could respond, though, the dark-haired girl was gone from view and didn't phase back. "Bye," Sora said to empty space.


	4. Waking and Journey's Beginning

_Chapter 4_

**Disclaimer:**I do not own _Kingdom Hearts_, _Final Fantasy X_, or _Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII_. These great and honorable games belong to their creators, not me. Oh, yeah; if it's Disney character or Disney setting/place/background, I don't own that either. Honest. I do, however, own the characters Dandella and Gabrielle. **;)**

**Warning: **Fairly kid-friendly in this chapter. No where near as dark as the Prologue, but does contain sad sappiness. Enjoy! ^^

**Printing Warning:** This chapter is **3 Pages when printed** out. I haven't actually counted how many pages story comes out as, but this will be long. I don't seem capable of doing short stories, honest.

**A/N:** In this story, the realms of _Final Fantasy VII _and _Final Fantasy X _are like countries side-by-side in the same world…but don't come in this chapter. May add other realms of _FF_ later.

This story starts during Kingdom Hearts (the first one) towards the end. If you haven't played (and beat) the game at all, there are spoilers…But then again, if you don't play the game, why would you be reading a fanfiction based on it?

-U_U-

Gabrielle yawned sleepily as she awoke, taking notice that the other girl had remained still, even in sleep. The dark-haired Apprentice watched as Dandella's breaths came slow and easy.

An abrupt knock on the door made the Apprentice Knight jump. The rapping upon the door sounded again, as Gabrielle scrambled out of the bed and towards the closed door. She reached for the knob and yanked the door wide open before a third knock could sound.

"You do know that it is a quarter past noon, do you not?" Lady Daisy stood solemnly before the Apprentice in the doorway.

Gabrielle quickly knelt onto one knee before replying. "Forgive me, Lady Daisy. Dandella had a rough night. Nightmares."

"I see," the female duck's reply was in an understanding tone. "Should I have a meal delivered to you?"

"I don't think that will be necessary, m'Lady," Gabrielle remained on one knee as she responded. "I'll take Dandella to the kitchens as soon as she awakens…And that might be a while, considering that she's currently sleeping like the dead."

"Very well, Gabrielle. Do as you wish." Lady Daisy winked playfully, "But don't forget—I did offer." With that, Queen Minnie's Lady-In-Waiting left the Apprentices to their privacy. Gabrielle rose from her stance and closed the door quietly. A soft groan issued from the untidy bed.

"Dandella?" Gabrielle asked softly, "Are you awake yet?"

"Ahhhgn," was the honey-blonde's reply as she rolled onto her side. "How long have I slept?"

Gabrielle couldn't help but to smirk as Dandella peeked at her. "Lady Daisy said that it was a quarter past noon. Feel any better yet, Dandy?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Dandella heaved a sigh, "At least my slumber was dreamless."

The Apprentice Knight approached the humble bed with gentle movements, the smirk softening into a caring smile. "That's sure some good news. Are you hungry?"

"I think any food I consumed would not stay down long, my friend," Dandella replied morosely. She gingerly sat up, using her arms to steady herself. "Perhaps a glass of water would suffice for now."

"Sure thing, Dandy…in just a minute, though. I wanna check your temperature first." The older girl leaned down to place a hand upon the blonde's forehead. Her expression was carefully neutral as she gauged the warmth against her palm. "Well, not so bad. Just a little overly warm…Probably just stress or simply so soon after waking." She leaned back and placed both hands on her hips, "I'll get that water for you; I'll be back in just a few minutes. You should try to rest some more."

She turned on her heel and strode to the door. She stopped before exiting. She glanced over her shoulder playfully, "It helps if I get fully dressed, huh?" She smiled as she sashayed back to where her armor lay upon the floor. Gabrielle pulled on each piece of armor with gentle care, giving the protective gear the proper respect. When fully garbed, she made toward the door again. "Okay, getting the water and some fruit. I'll be right back!"

Dandella watched wearily as her friend slipped out the door and into the hall. The wooden door closed softly behind the Apprentice Knight. "Riku," the blonde murmured to the empty room, "I hope you are all right wherever you are."

She lain back in the bed and closed her moss green eyes. Within minutes, she felt herself doze lightly. Her breathing deepened, and her pulse slowed. Her nap did not last long, however, as Gabrielle returned shortly.

"All right, now," the tall girl chirped. "Dandella, you have got to get up. It's past noon. I've got the water and the fruit. Plums, oranges, apples, bananas, strawberries, peaches, and even some grapes—all of your favorites. C'mon, get UP, you slugabum!"

"I am awake, I am awake. Simply stop shouting," Dandella sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her night shirt was bunched about her hips, giving any viewer quite a view of her undergarments. She stood, straightened her nightshirt, and stretched before walking to her quaint wardrobe, bare feet scampering across the cold stone floor. "Allow me to wash and dress, Gabrielle. I would like to be clean before eating, as you well know."

With one hand, the wardrobe was opened to reveal numerous styles of clothing in various shades of blue, baby yellow, and creamy lavender. The Apprentice Mage gathered several items and stepped behind the dressing wall. There she set her clothing on the countertop and approached the wash basin. She quickly undressed and began to wash herself of the sweat accumulated during her fitful sleep. Without taking her hair out of its braid, Dandella twisted her hair into a bun atop her head, using twin decorative sticks to hold it in place.

Finally, she dressed and slipped into a pair of zori. Dandella stepped back into her best friend's view with a deep sigh. Gabrielle examined the younger girl's choice of clothing with a calculating eye. A modest sky blue skirt reached the blonde's knees and flowed effortlessly around her legs; a white, short-sleeve button-up shirt sat open over a halter top the color of sunflowers. The zori were of simple sandalwood and navy blue velvet. The Apprentice Knight also noted how haphazardly her friend's hair was piled on her head.

"Well, the water won't stay cold forever, and the fruit can't get too ripe without being over-ripe. So, Dandy-girl, dig in!" Gabrielle gave a flourish toward an end table, where the pitcher with dual pottery cups and the bowl of fresh fruits sat as if on display. She pulled her friend into an embrace before giving a gentle push in the general direction of the edibles. "You need to keep up your strength, Shug. It'd be really bad if we were sent somewhere to lend a hand and you passed out."

"Right, right," was murmured as the younger teen sat gracefully on the small ottoman. Lifting the pitcher, Dandella poured both cups full of water, and twisted to look at Gabrielle. She carefully held out one of the cups to Gabrielle, who took the cup gently. She turned back to the fare and began to lightly nibble on a strawberry. "Perhaps, we could explore the towers today. Just something to get our minds off of the troubling occurrences of late."

"Maybe, but we've explored the towers several times already over the months...since our instructors left to find the King. We've run out of new things to discover. We've practically read every book in the library. I, for one, am tired of sparring with the same knights over and over. You and I know each others' moves too well to have a decent spar these days—and I know you'll be too distracted to put up a fair bit of resistance." Gabrielle took a sip of water before continuing. "I believe, my dear, we could check the world map in the Gummi hanger. It may give us an idea of our masters' progress, if nothing else. What do you say?"

Dandella slowly swallowed her last bite of the strawberry with a contemplative blink. "I suppose, if the Queen does not disapprove. Plus, we could clean the hanger if there is nothing else to be done. At least, we would still be helpful."

Gabrielle smirked at how Dandella could take any explorative endeavor and make it something useful besides extinguishing boredom. "Sure. I'm sure it's pretty dusty by now. Chip and Dale used to clean everything to pieces when they weren't working on the ships. They'll probably appreciate the upkeep, now that I think of it."

"Then it's decided. We'll check the world map and clean the Gummi ship hanger. When do you want to get started?" Dandella inquired, her mood lifted at long last.

"As soon as you've actually eaten a decent helping, you twig!"

-U_U-

That was how the next few days passed for the Apprentices. They checked the map and cleaned the hanger bit by bit. On the third day, the hanger was as clean as the girls could get it. They remained parted for the next day and did not reconvene until a spectacular visit occurred.

Dandella wandered the halls like so many days past, aimlessly searching for something of interest. Only her light footsteps could be heard in the long hallway. She found herself approaching her Master's personal study, after two hours of walking. As this registered in her mind, she snapped out of her slight daze. She had only been to this part of the castle twice in all of her stay. _Oh, boy. I have gotten myself lost again_, she thought glumly.

As it was, the Apprentice Mage stood directly in front of the door. The door itself wasn't very impressive. Merely a plank of medium-dark wood shaped like an upside-down 'U' hinged into place. A handle was set low in the door for the convenient height (or lack thereof) of its owner—its knob circular with a star raised outward. The star was shining silver against gleaming brass.

Dandella sighed in resignation. She reached a hand toward the handle, but the knob turned on its own before she could touch it. The Apprentice Mage jerked her hand back upon seeing this. The door swung open with a slight creaking, revealing the interior of the room beyond. Her eyes searched the doorway, her head unmoving, and stretched her senses out as far they could go.

She saw and sensed nothing. Still, to be cautious, she summoned her staff to her right hand. The blonde slowly progressed to the doorway and continued to look and sense about for any sign of danger. Seeing that no one was in the visible corners, she side-stepped swiftly around to see behind the door. She gasped at the sight before her.

There, holding the brass circular knob with a raised silver moon, stood a tall blue woman. Her hair was in dreadlocks, reaching past her waist, and held from her face by a light blue strip of cloth acting as a headband. Her features were a mix of African and Asian, set in pale blue skin. Her body was toned, covered in the same pale blue skin as her face. Light blue strips of cloth were artistically dispersed to cover her ample bust and well-formed hips, leaving her mid-drift bare. Various sized circlets adorned her upper arms, wrists, and ankles. A sky blue shall hovered about her shoulders without actually touching her skin, and her bare feet didn't touch the stone floor.

The blue woman stood behind the door, a small playful smile turned in Dandella's direction. She released the doorknob to face the Apprentice Mage fully. Her smile widened, going from playful to friendly and warm.

Despite the woman's open expression, Dandella remained on guard. Somehow, this impossibly tall stranger was hovering above the floor. It startled the teen more that she could not sense life from this person. "With all due respect, who and what are you?"

The woman's smile broadened even more. _I am Shiva. Your mother was quite familiar with me. I am glad to see her young doing so well_, was the unearthly reply. The words were not spoken, but transmitted telepathically.

Dandella gasped in surprise. "Shiva…the Aeon? But how? There isn't a Summoner in the castle."

Again, the woman smiled more. _Yes, I am an Aeon, a spiritual warrior for the Faith. You are correct; there are no Summoners here, but I don't need to be summoned. I go where I am needed. You wouldn't have been able to open the door if I hadn't opened it, dear_. Here, her smile faltered, _There is a place that needs heroes and heroines to protect its people. Sadly, there are many that need such. It has come to me that you, the Daughters of the Guardians, should be sent to these places to aid them in their times of need. The Faith shall deliver the incantations to transport you and the Other Daughter. For now, collect her and come back. Please, we must make haste._ At the end of her (thought)speech, the woman's face lost all trace of friendly air, and gained an expression of foreboding sorrow.

Dandella was at a loss for a moment, but regained herself quickly, "Yes—yes, Ma'am!" With that, she bowed to the Lady Aeon and charged out the door to find Gabrielle.

Shiva remained standing where she was, her expression darkening. _I do hope that they are ready for the journey they are about to depart upon…_Then again, Gabrielle is the daughter of Lulu and Wakka; and Dandella is the daughter of Rikku, raised by Lulu and Wakka. _Perhaps there is still hope._

_-O_O-_

Dandella ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She sensed out Gabrielle and found the girl to be in the Queen's Audience Chamber. She continued to run down the well-lighted halls and corridors. She passed guards, Enchanted Brooms, and off-duty Knights without so much as a glance to check their identities, ignoring the calls from all of them.

Upon arrival, Dandella stopped to catch her breath, bending down to rest her hands on her knees. She heard faint footfalls coming from behind her. Turning slowly (still bent over), she spotted Max panting as he stumbled toward her position.

"Dan-Dandella!" Max shuffled to a stop and assumed a stance similar to hers. "Wow…you run…fast," he huffed between words. "Why the…hurry?"

Dandella righted herself easily and gave the boy a warm smile. "I have to talk to the Queen and Gabrielle about something really important. I was visited by Lady Aeon Shiva!"

Max gave her a blank stare. "Lady Aeon Shiva? No idea who that is, sorry." He mimicked her movements and stood upright.

Dandella shook her head, the smile remaining on her lips. "I'll explain when everyone has gathered."

Just after the Apprentice Mage spoke, the small door within the huge doors opened. Lady Daisy peered at the two teens with a curious gaze. A moment passed in which Dandella and Max stared at her and she did the same to them. "What are we waiting for? Come in if you're coming." With that, she turned around and walked back into the Audience Chamber, leaving the door open for them.

Dandella and Max exchanged glances, then followed the duck into the long room. Dandella went first, with Max tailing her closely. Once they were through the doorway, Queen Minnie and Gabrielle could be seen. The Queen was pacing before the throne, a worried expression on her face. The Apprentice Knight knelt humbly upon one knee, a forearm resting atop the opposite limb, before the pacing Queen. Neither showed any kind of acknowledgment of the two newcomers.

"Your Highness," Lady Daisy called, catching the Queen's attention, "two more seek an audience with you." She continued until she stood next to the Queen's throne.

Max tried his utmost to remain calm, but it was his first time in this room. It didn't help that he was nervous around Queen Minnie and her Lady-In-Waiting. Naturally, he followed Dandella's lead of kneeling before the throne, keeping about the same distance from his friend, as she did from the other girl.

Queen Minnie stopped her pacing to look over her visitors. "Max, Dandella? Very well. Gabrielle was just us telling about the strange dreams you girls have been having. I must say, I'm very worried. I don't doubt your strength or honesty, girls, but things don't sound to be going well for Keyblade Master. Do any of you have anything else you would like to add?"

"No, Your Highness," came the reply from Gabrielle.

Max shot Dandella a sideward glance as she nodded her head. "I have something to add, Your Majesty," she said quietly.

The Mouse Queen turned to the blonde, "Yes, Dandella?"

"Lady Aeon Shiva came to me today. She said that there are worlds where the 'Daughters of the Guardians' are needed. She intoned that we must make haste, and that the Faith will send incantations for transportation as needed." Dandella had kept her head lowered during her report, idly wondering what expression the Queen might be wearing.

The expression just so happened to be that of shock. "Shiva, the Aeon, calling forth the 'Daughters of the Guardians'." She stared down at the Apprentice Mage blinking repeatedly before shaking her head as if to clear it. "We must obey the call at once! Dandella and Gabrielle! Collect the necessities for a journey. We mustn't keep the Lady Aeon waiting! Go, go, go, go!" The last was accentuated by the petite Queen making shooing motions with her hands. "Max! Gather plenty of Potions, Ethers, and whatnot for them!"

"YES, MA'AM!" Without another word, the Royal Guards' Captain's son bolted from the room, heading for the stock closet. A few seconds later, the Max-shaped dust cloud dispersed into nothingness.

Lady Daisy and Queen Minnie, along with the Apprentices, looked at the spot that the boy had been in a moment ago. Gabrielle was the first to speak, "Well, Max sure found out the meaning of the word 'hustle' real quick."

That unexpected comment broke the slight tension in the room. Dandella tried in vain to hold back her giggle, Lady Daisy snorted in amusement, and Her Highness brought both hands to cover her mouth as squeaks escaped her. Gabrielle, realizing what she said only after she said it and the reaction it brought, smirked victoriously.

Seriousness returned shortly, and again the girls were shooed. This time, they both nodded and complied. Once the door swung back into place, uncontrolled laughter burst from both the Lady Mouse and the Duckess (A/N: pun on 'Duchess'). This laughter went unheard, however, as both girls ran to their rooms to collect their personal affects.

[A short while later]

The teen trio met back at the Audience Chamber, each bringing their various procurements. Max brought a large bag filled with Potions, Hi-Potions, Ethers, Elixors, Phoenix Downs, and other goodies. Gabrielle brought clothes, memory spheres, snacks, make up, perfume, and hygiene products. Dandella had a pack full of nonperishable foods, hygiene products, clothes, and a sack of Munny. Dandella also had her collection of Pretty Stones in a colorful pouch tied to her hip.

Max handed his bag to Gabrielle, who slung the thing over her shoulder. They both looked to Dandella with questioning looks. "Umm, Dandy?" Gabrielle began.

"Why are you taking all of your Pretty Stones?" Max finished.

Dandella placed a hand over the beaded pouch, giving them her best 'You-can't-make-me leave-it' glare. "They have sentimental value." She dropped the glare after few seconds and smiled, "Besides, if worse comes to worse, they usually sell for thirty Munny a piece."

"That's true," Gabrielle conceded. Max just shrugged. "We better get going," the Apprentice Knight sighed. After exchanging a few unsure glances, the three converged into a group hug. When they parted, Gabrielle performed one last butt-kick to poor Max before she and Dandella headed off down the hall.

"Bye, Max! We'll miss you!" Dandella was walking backwards, waving to the boy in farewell.

Max smiled and blushed bright rouge. "Bye, Dandella, Gabrielle. Be safe and come back soon!"

"We'll see what we can do, Buddy!" came Gabrielle's reply.

With the final farewell uttered, the two girls ran down the hall and through various corridors with all their might. After the third turn, Gabrielle asked a rather simple question. "Hey, Dandy, where are we going to meet up with Lady Shiva, anyway?"

"Believe it or not, Master Donald's study."

"You're right. I don't believe it, but lead the way anyhow."

The rest of their run was uneventful.

o.O.o.O.o

The female Aeon waited behind the door as patiently as she could. She even tried to calm herself by repeating that the girls had to explain the situation, say their goodbyes and collect their necessities. Despite that, the blue woman grew slightly irritated. It had been almost an hour since the blonde youth had scampered away, and still no sign of the girls.

Shiva had closed the door shortly after the green-eyed girl's departure. She could remember helping Rikku, so many years ago, to become pregnant. Slight time travel and world hopping weren't exactly new to the Female Warrior of the Faith. Dropping off the Al Bhed woman into the time when Dr. Crescent was pregnant with what would become Sephiroth was an easy feat.

The tall blue woman's attention returned to the present as two sets of speeding footfalls drew closer. She sensed the blazing auras and recognized them as the ones needed. Again she opened the door from the inside, only to see both girls skid to a halt inside the Master Mage's study.

She gave them a warm smile in greeting. _Ah, you have both arrived. Good. We shall soon be off to begin your journey. Do you have any questions?_

Gabrielle stared in open shock at the Aeon. "You…you're really here…" Blink, blink. "It's an honor to be in your presence, Lady Shiva!" She fell into a kneel midway through her statement.

Dandella smirked slightly, knowing that her initial reaction wasn't much better. "I do have a question, Lady Shiva. Where is our first stop?" The Apprentice Mage adjusted her baggage to ease the points of pressure where the straps held firm.

Shiva's smile grew a little as she replied to the blonde's inquiry. _Our first destination shall be the Feudal Era. This is a land of yokai and humans. The Heartless have not appeared there, but a different enemy is lurking in its depths. We shall be off, then._ She closed the door with a bump of her definitely feminine hips and summoned the strength needed.

Gabrielle zoned back into reality at the mention of Heartless, but did not have the time to poise any questions of her own before a blinding light appeared. She heard Dandella give a cry of surprise, and instinctively reached for the younger girl's hand. The Aeon was chanting something too fast for her ears to discern, and suddenly the light disappeared…Apparently, so had the floor.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Both girls screamed at the top of their lungs as they fell from the clear sky into the tall trees below. Fortunately, they hit no branches on the way down.

Dandella summoned her staff and did the only thing she could think of. She held the staff parallel to her spine and cried out, "Aerochi!" A funnel of wind blew toward the pair from the ground in powerful torrents. The force slowed their decent considerably, so that they landed on their feet without too much stress on their joints. Their packs fell harmlessly a distance from them.

Once her balance was properly regained, the Apprentice Knight wobbled closer to Dandella and performed a glomp. "We could've broken something if you didn't do that!" she said as she nuzzled blonde hair against her cheek.

"Numerous somethings," the Apprentice Mage concurred. She blinked once, twice, thrice… "I just used a new spell."

It was Gabrielle's turn to blink, "Yeah, you did…Oh, yeah! You learned a new spell! Donald's gonna be so proud!" They did a few jumps in joy, holding each other's forearms so that they jumped in unison. The girls embraced one another as they laughed at themselves.

-o.O.o.O-

Author's Note: Hello, dear readers! It's going to be a bit before the next chapter. I still have to decide where in the Inu Yasha series to have the girls drop in. It's been years since I watched the series, so I'm having to refresh my memory one episode at a time. I'm thinking of having the Daughters of the Guardians travel with Sesshomaru's party for a little bit; not sure if I want them to assist with a battle against Naraku, though.

I hope you have enjoyed this fic-in-progress so far. Remember to review so I know someone's actually reading this. Seriously.


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